Women are twice as likely to die as men six months after a heart attack

Published

July 23, 2018 14:45:22

There is a difference in the way men and women are treated for heart attacks.

Women undergoing a serious type of heart attack, known as STEMI, are less likely

And they are twice as likely to die within six months of their heart attack

& # 39; A little tight in my chest & # 39;

Helen Peck was only 41 years old when she suffered a heart attack

It was a health scare that she had never anticipated. 19659005] "I was not overweight, I did not have blood pressure, I did not have high cholesterol," says Mrs. Peck to AM.

"In fact, I did not really match what someone would have probably looked at and thought that person looks like a candidate.

"I was thin , I was running five companies – I guess I was just a little superhuman, I thought, but I was not taking great care of myself "

When the first symptoms started to appear, she had not no idea what was going on, but she knew that she had to go quickly to the hospital.

"I was not really sure what it was, I knew it was not quite right.

"And then I just had a pretty strong pain that came by the back on the front of my chest

" And then I thought, "Oh, I'm a little bit"

Women are less likely to receive treatment than men

Ms. Peck's quick thinking and the actions of the medical staff meant that she received the care she needed.

But a study published today The Medical Journal of Australia found that other women have different experiences.

"We undertook to work in modern Australia if women compared to men have the same results with STEMI, which is a serious type of heart attack" Clara Chow, lead author of the "Aussie". study, professor of medicine at the University of Sydney and cardiologist at Westmead Hospital, said:

The study used data from the CONCORDANCE acute coronary syndrome registry, which covers 41 hospitals Australia

It found that women were less likely to have coronary angiography (a test to find blockages in the coronary artery), less likely to get preventive treatments after their heart attack and less likely to be rehabilitated.

"So, they were less likely to receive treatment than men," said Professor Chow.

Bias unconscious

Research does not occur. I do not know why sometimes there is "

But Professor Chow thinks that unconscious bias can play a role.

"I certainly think that men recognize that health services recognize that men have heart attacks, but it's definitely the perception that women do not have a heart attack," she said.

"Yet Cardiovascular Disease Garry Jennings, cardiologist and medical advisor to the Heart Foundation, believes that this unconscious bias can also extend to health professionals

. With the symptoms that could be a heart attack, they tend to think that it's less likely to be the diagnosis than other things, "said Professor Jennings.

" We must counter that. This is not true.

"Just as many women have heart disease as men, it is very important to make sure that they receive the best treatment."

Professor Chow said that it had to happen.

"There are no differences in our treatment protocols by sex … the gender should not fit in at all," she said.

heart disease,

women's health,

health care institutions,

Australia