“It is a myth that men are more susceptible to heart diseases. Women are at a higher risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases,” said Dr J P S Sawhney, consultant cardiologist, Sri Ganga Ram Hospital. He was speaking at the Continued Medical Education (CME) 2008, held at Hotel Shivalikview today.

Talking about the sensitivity that surrounds heart diseases, Dr Sawhney said that women fear cancer more than cardio-vascular diseases (CVD), which is why not many women take symptoms like chest pain seriously.

“CVD is the biggest cause of death among women in the US. The trend is equally alarming in developing nations, with India taking the lead. The way our lifestyle has altered has a lot to do with the increase in the number of women falling prey to CVD,” he said. He cautioned that post-menopause, the risk of acquiring CAD and CVD increases manifold.

“Women at the age of child-bearing do not come under the danger zone as they have hormonal protection; once they enter menopause, they become prone to CVD. The possibility of pre-menopausal women suffering from CVD increases four times if they smoke,” said Dr G S Kalra, Director, Cardiology, Fortis Hospital.

The symptoms related to CVD among women, feel the doctors, are too few. “While the warning signs are too many among men, the symptoms in women are a few and subtle. Women experience pain in the shoulder and jaw, sweating and nausea, which should not be ignored,” said Dr Rajneesh Malhotra, senior consultant cardiac surgeon at Indrapastha Apollo Hospital.

... contd.