Heart diseases are among the largest causes of death in the world. It has been known to kill more than 20 million people in a single year. Heart diseases contribute to one-third of deaths all by themselves. However, early detection and treatment can safeguard against life-threatening heart diseases.
Unfortunately, women with heart diseases are more often than not left underdiagnosed and untreated. That is why more women have lost their lives to an entirely treatable heart disease. It has also made heart diseases no. 1 cause of death in women worldwide. So, this is not some unprecedented or unforeseen phenomenon that you would assume. And it's not occurring just in the UK but worldwide. So, when you see the numbers of individuals dying due to heart conditions, realise many women might have been saved – if only they were diagnosed and treated in time.
Private cardiology clinics in London are trying to raise awareness to minimise this problem. The private cardiology clinics are doing their best to uncover all plausible reasons why women with heart conditions are being undiagnosed and trying to address them. Let's try to understand this more in-depth to understand why heart conditions in women often go under the radar.
Why Do Heart Diseases Often Go Under The Radar In Women?
Mild to serious heart conditions in women often go unnoticed compared to men. This is not an isolated incident. It is so common that this has been a subject of debate for quite some time now, though the conversation about the topic has been subdued. Some of the strongest reasons can be easily outlined as follows:
●Women's anatomy is a bit different than men's. Historically, the majority of medical research has been conducted on men; the symptoms of heart attacks and heart conditions are examined according to how they manifest in male bodies. The symptoms of heart disease are often different in women than in men. As the symptoms don't fit the typical definition of heart disease, women don't think much about it. And to add to it, women frequently undermine their own concerns in fear of being called hysteric. They brush it aside till it manifests into something severe or life-threatening.
● As we have mentioned, women do not always exhibit similar symptoms of heart disease; they fail to seek the right and timely treatment. The lack of awareness is one reason for it. However, this paints half a picture, there is another cause as well. Private cardiology clinics have noted that most women do not turn up for regular cardiology tests. This could be because of their lack of knowledge or disinterest in their health. Everyone has to be responsible for their health and go for regular health check-ups. Especially when they have attained the age of 30, heart check-ups are non-negotiable. For women who have a family health history of heart disease, it is an absolute preventative measure to avoid massive heart conditions.
● It has been sadly noted that there have been instances of biases against male and female patients in medicine. When a male patient turns up with chest pain, they are sent for an electrocardiogram and other cardiology tests in London. Whereas when a female patient rolls to the ER with chest pain, they are often shoved aside. Their symptoms are given less attention or care. Many women have been told that they are being dramatic or this is hormonal or given anxiety meds. This is sad but a reality for many. Private cardiology clinics in London have seen many such cases where female patients were underdiagnosed and later found to have underlying heart conditions. This is a grim but real picture.
How Common Are Hidden Heart Damages in Women?
The American health organisation - the National Institute of Health or NIH - has conducted thorough research to uncover how common heart damage is in women and how often it remains misdiagnosed. They have found some interesting findings that can shed some light on this issue.
Women without coronary artery blockages who had complained of chest pain were the subjects of the study. In the test, they made 340 undergo a cardiac magnetic resonance or CMR test. The CMR test is a detailed imaging of the heart. In this imagining, it is found that only 8% of women are found to have a myocardial scar. A myocardial scar indicates damage to the heart muscle. Even though their cardiac scans showed that they had damaged heart muscle, about one-third of those women with myocardial scars were never diagnosed with a heart attack. A myocardial scar that was absent the year before was discovered in 1% of the 179 women who had a one-year follow-up CMR; these women had been hospitalised for chest pain in the year following their initial scan but had not received a heart attack diagnosis.
This paints a grim picture of women's healthcare and heart care globally. It just backs the claim that heart disease in women often flies under the radar. And it remains unknown till they have escalated.
What Steps Are Private Cardiology Clinics in London Taking to Address This Issue
Private cardiology clinics in London are well aware of this issue and are actively trying to change this grim picture. In the past few years, private cardiology clinics in London have been doing a lot to address this problem. They are working on many fronts to target this specific problem.
● Educating Women On Cardiac Diseases And Symptoms – Women are frequently ignorant of the various symptoms that indicate cardiac distress. They believe their bodies will exhibit the same signs as men, which is often not the case. This occurs due to the lack of education on this subject. The private cardiology clinics in London are trying to change this by educating women on understanding symptoms of heart conditions, specifically in women. It is slowly helping women to understand their health better. Slowly, it is working to help women understand their health better.
● Encourage Women to Turn Up for Regular Cardiology Tests – Women must take their cardiac health seriously and turn up for regular cardiology testing in London. To do this, private cardiology clinics in London are conducting drives to raise awareness. These drives help to motivate women to take active strides towards their cardiac health. To encourage more women, they have even incentivised tests, such as offering free blood pressure readings or discounts on heart tests.
● Sensitising Medical Professionals – There is no need to bury the fact that most cases go under the radar because healthcare professionals misdiagnose patients. If doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals could treat patients without bias, all patients would have been given similar care. However, due to their innate bias, this disparity in treatment is often visible. Sometimes, healthcare professionals aren’t even aware of this bias. To curb this issue, hospitals and private cardiology clinics in London conduct internal sensitisation sessions to redeem this behaviour.
Heart conditions in women are on the rise. However, they often go under the radar, which makes it the biggest reason for death in women globally. Women typically do not present similar symptoms, and they are frequently shoved aside by healthcare professionals when they roll to the ER. This problem becomes even more significant when it comes to women of colour. In addition to being socially predisposed to neglect their health, women of colour also receive less care and attention when they do seek assistance. This concern digs deeper when you look at the quality of treatment women of colour receive when they seek treatment.
Heart diseases are not something that should be taken lightly. They can quickly escalate to become life-threatening. Private cardiology clinics in London are doing their best to raise awareness. They are working tirelessly to impart knowledge about heart conditions in women. And how women should take preventative steps to address this issue. Their continual efforts have made some difference. But for their efforts to make a resounding change, women must actively take strides. They need to advocate for their own health. Therefore, apart from fundamental institutional reforms, women should take responsibility and proactive preventative measures to protect their heart health. Ladies, it's high time to schedule cardiology tests in a private cardiology clinic in London.