Wake-up call for the fair sex

Contrary to popular perception that men are more prone to Cadio Vascular Diseases (CVC) or heart ailments, a recent study has said that women in India are equally prone to cardiac problems and in fact, more at a risk of such threats today than three years back.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in India. Around 35 per cent of the population suffers from heart stroke every year. On an average, three out of 10 people suffer from some form of heart disease or the other, say experts.

Before a heart attack, men typically get a chest pain, break into cold sweat and complain of a feeling of impending doom.

 On the other hand, women may feel no pain at all, or if they do, they experience it in an unrelated part of the body like an elbow, a shoulder or the jaw. Forty-three per cent of women never experience chest pain during a heart attack, neither do they usually break into cold sweat, but they might just complain of fatigue, which is never associated with cardiovascular ailment. 

These typical symptoms, when coupled with the myth that heart attacks are more common in men, result in the disease remaining undiagnosed in many women. This is one reason why, despite the much-acclaimed protective nature of estrogen, Indian women account for 15 per cent of the global burden of heart disease which kills about 15 million each year.

“Indian women are at an almost equal risk as men, probably because women are more prone to risk disorders like diabetes and hypertension,” Dr Rishi Gupta, HOD, Cardiology, Asian Institute of Medical Science, Faridabad told Metrolife. 

A recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research found age-adjusted hypertension more prevalent in urban women than men, with 284 per 1,000 women being hypertensive as compared to 245 per 1,000 men.

“Women have only one advantage over men, the hormone called estrogen. It help protect against heart disease by raising the level of good cholesterol and lowering the level of bad cholesterol. Women’s bodies make estrogen. At menopause, however, the amount of estrogen drops – and so does the protection it offers. There should be separate cardiovascular disease guidelines for women, who often display symptoms that vary widely from those conventionally associated with heart disorders,” Dr Rajneesh Jain, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital informed Metrolife.

Worldwide, 8.6 million women die from heart disease each year. As the number one cause of death among women aged 20 and older, the disease kills about one woman every minute, making it the largest killer above the next highest four causes of death combined, including cancer. Ninety per cent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.

Dr Puneet K Nigam, chief of lab services, Metropolis Healthcare Ltd, said, “The cases of cardiovascular disease has been steadily rising in India. The major factors attributed for this are changes in lifestyle, lack of exercise, consumption of unhealthy food, increased stress levels, smoking and use of tobacco.”