Everyone knows a man who has heart disease but the first ever global report on cardiovascular disease in women is chilling reading.
17 women experts from 11 countries carried out the research, commissioned by the medical journal The Lancet, and are calling for immediate action to tackle inequities in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart disease in women globally with cardiovascular disease considered the leading cause of death in women.
Cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease and stroke, accounts for 35 per cent of deaths in women worldwide each year. An estimated 2.1 million Australian women have cardiovascular disease, and it accounts for about one in four female deaths.
The authors outlined 10 recommendations to tackle inequities in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart disease in women.
“We know that more needs to be done to increase awareness of heart disease in and among women. But more work is also needed to address knowledge gaps and the barriers women face in getting access to services that best meets their needs,” said Heart Foundation Director of Health Strategy, Julie Anne Mitchell.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are almost twice as likely as non-Indigenous women to have heart, stroke and vascular diseases.”
See, if we don’t look after ourselves, no one will.
