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.
Elaborating on factors leading to CVD in women, Dr Sawhney said that sedentary lifestyle is largely to be blamed. “There is a lack of activity among women, which often leads to obesity. Apart from this, smoking also adds to the risk. Hypertension, which increases steeply after menopause, diabetes and stress are other vital factors,” said Dr Sawhney.
While 50 per cent of risk factors are genetic, 80 per cent is acquired through habits that one forms, feel doctors. “We need to bring about changes in our eating habits. Consumption of desi ghee, red meats and alcohol should be in moderate quantity. One should eat more of fresh vegetables and fruits. All dairy products need to have good cholesterol, which should be greater than 40 mg/dL in men and 50 mg/dL in women,” Dr Malhotra added.