Despite the fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death, not just in the United States, but around the world, a recent study has revealed that a certain part of the population may not be seeking or getting medical treatment as aggressively as they should be. According to research presented at the Acute Cardiac Care Congress 2012 in Istanbul this week, women are less likely to recover from a heart attack than men, in part because they act and are treated differently as patients.
Dr. Guillaume Leurent, a medical practitioner and researcher from the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in France, announced this finding to a group of physicians that had gathered for the three-day forum on cardiac treatment. To determine the relationship between gender and mortality rates following a heart attack, Leurent and his associates reviewed the medical documents of 5,000 patients over the course of six years, ScienceDaily reports.
The researchers observed that the female patients, who made up just 23 percent of the sample group, were 5 percent less likely to pull through after a cardiac event. Why? Statistically, women tended to wait longer before seeking medical attention for chest pains and other symptoms. Physicians, meanwhile, routinely approached heart problems in female patients less aggressively in terms of medication and rehabilitation.
Leurent theorized that this documented difference could be because heart attacks are seen by many as more of a male problem.
“Campaigns are needed to increase awareness in doctors and the public about the problem of [heart conditions] in women,” Leurent said.
Last week, this blog covered a press release from the World Heart Federation that stressed the importance of promoting heart health earlier in life. With this study in mind, men and women should be especially conscious dietary decisions and other lifestyle choices that may increase their risk of developing a heart condition.