Contrary to popular belief, cardiovascular diseases are more dangerous for women than for men. Especially during a pandemic, first of all, women should pay attention to their heart condition, control their blood pressure, and in the event of any threat, consult a doctor as soon as possible. According to research, women have a greater tendency to ignore the risk of a heart attack, and are more afraid of Covid-19 infection than men.
According to national research presented at the “Acute Cardiovascular Care 2019” congress in Malaga, organized by the European Society of Cardiology, women call an ambulance much earlier when anyone around them shows symptomsof a heart attack, but not because of their own heart attack.
This tendency is joined by the reluctance to contact the health service for fear of infection. Ladies, much more than men, are afraid of the coronavirus. According to the CBOS survey carried out between October 19 and 29, fears of infection are largely differentiated by gender: they are expressed more often by women (76%) than by men (60%).
In this article, Niketrainers.com.co will tell you:
The myth of an exclusively male heart attack
According to the data of the Central Statistical Office, about 175,000 people die of cardiovascular causes every year, which is nearly 46 percent of all deaths. Contrary to popular belief, more women than men die of it.
–There is still a general belief that mainly men suffer from heart disease, and usually we think about a heart attack. This is a myth –says prof. dr hab. med. Danuta Czarnecka from the Department of the Institute of Cardiology of the Jagiellonian University. –In Poland, 84,000 men and 94,000 women die every year from diseases of the cardiovascular system, i.e. heart attack, heart failure or stroke! The trend is similar across Europe.
For fear of the virus
At the end of November this year. representatives of the community of cardiological patients together with the Polish Cardiac Society, as part of the social campaign “Badam się – because I want to live”, appealed to the National Health Fund to pay special attention to the needs and problems of cardiac patients during the pandemic.
European and Polish data confirm that many people delayed the intervention in the event of a heart attack and did not call an ambulance. Experts of the Polish Society of Cardiology alert that the number of treated heart attacks in the first months of the pandemic fell by as much as 40 percent. The reason for this, however, is not the lack of heart attacks, but the delay in visiting a doctor and not calling an ambulance because of the fear of infection, as well as limited access to medical care.
Why women?
The increased risk of death from heart disease in women is, unfortunately, the result of both their traditional roles and too little attention by public health institutions to the fact that women are more at risk of cardiovascular disease.
–Women more often die of heart disease because they see a cardiologist later than men.– says prof. Czarnecka –Cardiovascular disease prevention is also crucial.It is worth paying attention, for example, to the ads. It is the woman who cares about the man – that he eats properly. However, there are practically no ads in which the message would be that a woman should also take care of herself, and yet women are also exposed!
It also turns out that in women the symptoms of a heart attack in women may look unusual, it may manifest itself only as stomach pain, accompanied by vomiting. This is one of the reasons why women call an ambulance less often, taking away the chance for quick help.
–In women, cardiovascular diseases appear later than in men, and the symptoms may look completely different– alarmed Dr. Małgorzata Peregud-Pogorzelska during the conference “Quo vadis medicina?”,–Although cardiovascular diseases are more attributed to the male sex, according to European studies, women die more often from them: 55% of women versus 43% of men.
As it turns out, in addition to disregarding the condition of their heart and not recognizing the symptoms of a heart attack, the reason for the higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases in women is also the adoption of certain risky behaviors that were previously characteristic of men, such as smoking, stress, improper diet, and a sedentary lifestyle. All of these factors cause fat to build up in the blood vessels, often resulting in a heart attack. Strokes are also more common in women and affect them as much as 95% of the time. cases of stress-induced cardiomyopathy. Also, women, more often than men, develop obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, anddiabetes.
Particular female risk factors also include so-called estrogen-progestin contraceptives (pills, patches and rings that combine estrogen and synthetic progestins). They increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and phlebitis through blockages in the deep vein and pulmonary embolism, as well as through blockage of the pulmonary artery.
How to take care of the circulatory system?
According to the international study “Interheart” conducted in 52 countries, eating enough fruit and vegetables, engaging in regular physical activity and not smoking reduces the risk of a heart attack by up to 80%.
In additionto eating properly and quitting tobacco, other key actions that should be taken to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease include: reducing alcohol consumption, getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night, and regular risk assessment of cardiovascular disease. Few people are aware of the importance of diet for our cardiovascular system. According to research, every 10 percent. an increase in the share of highly processed food in the diet is associated with a 12 percent increase in the risk of its diseases.
Also, tobacco, especially when accompanied by hormonal pills, promotes clogging of the arteries and eliminates the natural protection against cardiovascular diseases. They are also favored by: chronic stress related to work, family or financial problems, and depression. They also stimulate the desire to smoke or bad eating habits, which are high risk factors for heart attacks.
On the otherhand, physical exercise has a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vesselsas it lowers blood pressure and results in better adaptation of the heart’s work to exercise. Equally important is blood pressure control, which everyone after the age of 40 should carry out with the use of good-quality blood pressure monitors, and if any abnormalities are noticed, consult a doctor as soon as possible.