Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute Professor Jason Kovacic urges women to be aware of the heart disease symptoms they experience differently from men.“We do see high rates still of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure – these things continue to drive this epidemic of heart disease,” Professor Kovavic told Sky News Australia.
He said there are some heart diseases which women suffer from more often than men, including ‘spontaneous coronary artery dissection’ and ‘fibromuscular dysplasia’. “Women don’t always get those classic symptoms of heart attack – it can be pain in the belly, it can be shortness of breath, it can be just fatigue, sometimes pain in the jaw, pain in the arms.
“We have to be really vigilant for all of these different symptoms of heart attack and doctors I think also need to do a better job, but I think we are improving at recognising these symptoms of heart attack in women.”