A message from the heart: Cardiac care vital for women, too

Women face an underappreciated risk of cardiovascular disease.

Editorial. May 26, 2003.

This month brought another Mother's Day, a time to celebrate the women who play a central role in our lives. Now that the flowers have been delivered and the brunches eaten, a much-needed and enduring way to honor these and all women requires attention. It is to create, and act on, greater awareness of cardiovascular disease among women.

In our society, heart disease is thought of as a male problem. But it's actually indiscriminate, ranking as the No. 1 killer of both American men and women. For women, this tally translates into one in three stricken, and more than 500,000 lives lost annually. Women tend to be most aware of cancer risks, but heart attack, stroke and related diseases are responsible for almost twice as many female deaths than all forms of cancer combined.

Yet only about one-third of women are aware of these sobering statistics, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Women also fail to link chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, with their chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

Meanwhile, the same misperceptions that lead women to dismiss cardiac symptoms sometimes distract physicians from addressing them. Heart disease in women often goes untreated until a crisis point. Diagnosing heart attack in women is a challenge because they are not likely to experience the classic symptoms. Women present with mid-back pain, nausea and or vomiting, and palpitations instead of intense chest pains. And evidence suggests that because of these and other factors, doctors tend to treat female patients differently -- recommending preventive interventions less frequently, ordering fewer diagnostic tests and taking less aggressive steps in emergencies.