Study finds women more likely to have undiagnosed heart issues

Research from the George Institute for Global Health and The University of Sydney has shown that the percentage of women that could potentially die from heart diseases is larger than men. The reason being that they are less likely to get their heart checked by a doctor.

Published in the medical journal Heart, the study surveyed over 53,000 patients and found that there was a gender divide when it came to heart screenings. Though, the study also did find that women over the age of 65 are more proactive about getting the right medications for heart problems than men.

Associate Professor Julie Redfern, from The George Institute, told the Australian Associated Press, “Unfortunately there is still the perception that heart disease is a man’s disease. This is not the case here in Australia, the UK or the US and we fear that one of the reasons more women are dying from heart disease is because they are not being treated correctly, including not even being asked basic questions about their health.”

While the findings are surprising many are calling for a new campaign to target the problem which could be rolled out as soon as the end of this year.

Do you think you are more or less conscious about your heart’s health?  Do you get regular checkups?