Heart attacks remain one of the leading causes of death globally, but did you know men are more likely to die of heart attacks compared to women? Studies show that gender differences, lifestyle choices, and age-specific risks all play a role. Yet, as women's lifestyles evolve, the gap is slowly narrowing.
To help answer burning questions about heart attack risks, symptoms, and prevention across genders, we speak with Dr Gajinder Kumar Goyal, Director of Cardiology, Marengo Asia Hospitals, Faridabad, to break it all down.
Are there studies to show that men die of heart attack more than women?
“Men die more than women due to heart attacks. The Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) Study done in 2017 revealed that in India around 6 Lacs women die of heart attack compared to 9 Lacs men in a year. But this gap is decreasing with changing lifestyles in women over the years,” Dr Goyal says.
Why don’t we usually hear of women having a heart attack? Is there any correlation between heart attack and gender?
“Even in women, the most common cause of death is heart attack. No doubt that the incidence of heart attacks is lesser in younger women especially those less than 50 years of age while more than 50 per cent of heart attacks in men occur in less than 50 years of age. After the age of 50, the risk of heart attack is similar in both genders,” he says.
Are the symptoms or signs any different in women?
“Chest pain is the most important symptom of a heart attack in men but women can have symptoms like restlessness, breathlessness, sweating, nausea etc more prominently as compared to men. So we should not ignore even mild chest pain or other subtle symptoms in women,” Dr Goyal says.
Are there specific things that women should keep in mind?
“After menopause, the risk of heart attack is similar in men and women. However, younger women who have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, those who smoke, those who have high body mass index and a family history of premature heart disease, all have a similar risk as compared to men even at younger age groups,” he says.
According to Dr Goyal, lifestyle modifications are very important and regular monitoring of blood pressure, lipid profile and sugar levels should be done every one to two years. Having a balanced diet, regular exercising and avoiding smoking can reduce the risk of heart attack significantly.
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