Helping women stay heart healthy: Raising awareness on heart failure

New Delhi [India], March 9 (ANI/Mediawire): Having a healthy heart can be vital for a person's health outcomes, wellbeing, and quality of life. However, India reports one of the highest numbers of cardiovascular disease cases in the world. To address this, we should continue strengthening efforts to tackle heart diseases through awareness, prevention efforts, evidence-based guidelines for better management, and more.
One type of cardiovascular disease is heart failure - which is when the heart is gradually unable to pump enough blood to support the body's needs. In India, heart failure cases are on the rise and heart failure patients are, on average, 10 years younger as compared to their western counterparts. It is vital to prevent or detect the condition early, so people can swiftly get the care they need.
Men and women are at equal risk of developing heart failure, with research suggesting that at 40 years of age, the risk for both groups are one in five. Yet, there are differences in their experiences of heart failure, from symptoms to risk factors, which sometimes go unaddressed.
To understand how healthy one's heart is, one important measure to look at is 'Ejection Fraction,' or how much blood someone's heart pumps each time it beats. Specifically in the case of preserved ejection fraction, the heart pumps normally but is too stiff to fill properly. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is more common in women and is responsible for at least half of their heart failure cases. Women also tend to develop heart failure at an older age, compared to men.
People should also know of the common signs to identify heart failure, which include fatigue, shortness of breath, frequent coughing, swelling of feet, ankles, or legs, amongst others. While men and women typically have similar symptoms, women report more shortness of breath with effort, difficulty exercising, and swelling. Further, it is important to know that the risk factors observed across men and women in India include rising cases of hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease, and more. In women who have gone through menopause specifically, hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease are common heart failure causes.
While we understand the risk factors that might make a woman more likely to experience heart failure, one challenge we continue to face today is that testing, and treatment options are underutilized when it comes to women. The result of this is that largely, only women with more advanced heart diseases or intense symptoms are ultimately diagnosed and treated. For instance, some women have been inadequately treated in the past for conditions where the heart is weakened because it receives lesser blood flow due to narrowing of the vessels of the heart (ischemic heart disease). These women may experience greater risk of heart failure when they are older. Shoring up the response to such issues at an early stage is key.
Given that heart failure affects people who are in the prime of their lives and at the height of their careers, it is important to take preventive action, and also support early detection and management. For this, some important steps for the industry to take include raising awareness through educational initiatives on heart failure risk factors and how to control them, symptoms to look out for and more, especially for women. Sharing the latest research and therapy advancements in heart failure with general practitioners and cardiologists can also help improve heart care.
At the same time, there is also another gap we must address - that clinical heart failure trials have included far fewer women than men. With less information on how heart failure uniquely affects women, it can be more challenging to treat them, which may explain why women are reported to receive less optimal care than men. We need more research to shed light on how heart failure specifically affects women, from risk factors to the effectiveness of therapy options. This can empower clinicians by helping them make more informed decisions on women's heart health.
It's important to remember that while significant, heart failure can be managed, often with a combination of effective medications and healthy lifestyle changes. Seeking timely care is equally important to keep our heart healthy and continue leading a full, good quality of life.
Issued in public interest by Abbott for general awareness. This article is meant for general awareness only and is not meant to be a promotion of any product in any manner whatsoever. Dr Zakia Khan is engaged by Abbott Healthcare Private Limited ("Abbott"), and views expressed are her independent views. This article should not be considered as a substitute for doctor's advice. Abbott shall not be held liable in any manner whatsoever for any action based on the information provided in this article and does not hold itself liable for any consequences, legal or otherwise, arising out of information in this article. Please consult your doctor for more information. Content Produced by Dr Zakia Khan
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