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Most common cause of death Heart disease of women is underestimated
Many people still believe that heart disease is more likely to affect men. But overall, more women than men die of heart disease. On the occasion of the World Heart Day on September 29, health experts draw attention to the topic.
Heart disease is often underestimated by women
Although there are many studies that prove the dangers, many women still believe that heart disease does not pose as much of a risk to them as opposed to cancer. But only recently did a study show that, for example, women and Eastern Europeans are at a higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. In Germany, heart disease is the leading cause of death in both women and men. Health experts draw attention to this on the occasion of the World Heart Day on 29 September.
Heart disease of women often uncovered. Picture: SENTELLO - fotolia More women than men aspire to heart disease
Although still more men than women die of heart attacks in this country. It is clear from the current "heart report" that in 2012 there were almost 29,000 men and around 23,600 women who fell victim to an infarction. But despite the higher numbers, this is no longer a pure "men's thing" anymore: Because while the number of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in the men in the last 30 years reduced by about half, it fell in women only by a third. In addition, deaths from valvular heart disease, heart failure, and arrhythmias, according to the German Heart Foundation, would generally kill more women with heart disease than men. However, these are usually about ten years older than the male fatalities, said Professor Thomas Meinertz, Chairman of the German Heart Foundation, told the news agency dpa. According to the experts, the reason for this is the production of the female sex hormone estrogen. Because this protects apparently before the menopause, the blood vessels of women from the dreaded arteriosclerosis - and thus against vasoconstriction and myocardial infarction.
Women tend to have a heart attack in old age
If hormone production in the ovaries decreases after menopause, however, the risk of cardiovascular diseases rises sharply. Accordingly, the curves would converge in men and women from about 75 years, according to Professor Meinertz. "Women have much less cardiovascular disease before menopause than men and more after menopause," said Professor Vera Regitz-Zagrosek. According to the expert, who runs the Institute for Gender Research in Medicine at the Berlin Charité, women would rather have an infarct at an advanced age. "However, we do not yet know how much of the observed effects with age and how many are hormonal", because the proportion of women in large heart studies was still too low according to Regitz-Zagrosek. Their share is also underrepresented in other areas of medical research. One pharmacologist recently pointed out that women are less taken into account in drug tests.
Obesity and high blood lipids are equally dangerous in both sexes
But despite the rising numbers in old age, the danger would often be underestimated, warned the expert. "Women believe that they are protected from cardiovascular disease by hormones, as they were once told." After the menopause, however, the risk is just as high and the most important risk factors are between the sexes do not differ. These include obesity, high blood lipids and high blood sugar, which is even more of a threat to women, says Regitz-Zagrosek. But not only women after menopause are affected. Instead, more and more women under 60 years or before the last spontaneous menstruation would suffer a heart attack. A "disconcerting" trend from the expert's point of view - even though this is not the largest proportion of infarction patients. From a medical point of view, smoking was a major risk factor at a younger age, as women were less likely to be deterred by anti-smoking campaigns than younger men.
Diabetes in pregnancy can increase risk of cardiovascular disease
In addition, women are more susceptible to specific forms of stress-related heart disease and diseases of the small coronary arteries. Likewise, gender-specific risk factors would play a role. Because evidently, e.g. Hypertension or diabetes in pregnancy lead to an increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease in old age, said Regitz-Zagrosek. How exactly these relationships are to be explained, however, has not yet been clarified scientifically. "But these are observations that are backed up and important in large studies," said the expert. "Women and heart disease have been underestimated," summed up the trained cardiac surgeon, Professor Sandra Eifert, from the Klinikum Großhadern in Munich.
According to the expert, who cares for a heart failure and women's specific consultation, "Women's complaints are often not taken seriously." It is important that, for example. An infarction in a woman can express very differently than a man. "One always learns in the study that the heart attack with chest pain and pain behind the sternum radiating to the arm or lower jaw begins," said Eifert.
Nausea and upper abdominal discomfort as myocardial infarction signs
These typical complaints can also occur in women - but they do not have to. Instead, in some cases, female patients would be more likely to suffer from "relatively nonspecific" symptoms, such as nausea and upper abdominal discomfort, which could make the diagnosis last longer than the "classic" heart attack symptoms. Similarly, it behaves partly in cardiac catheterization, because even here, according to Eiferts "may not all aspects of a disease discovered" - which concerns especially the small coronary arteries. Because in some women, the blood pressure falls after a Gefasstgstelle not as massive as in the men, but only gradually. Complaints that arise as a result, would accordingly incorrectly age or similar. Attributed.
"The women are primarily getting cardiac catheters nowadays, so often they do not notice anything and they are sent home," says Eifert. However, this does not rule out the possibility that there may still be a hereditary vascular disease. In order to be able to recognize smaller or more subtle vascular changes, women should therefore be examined with further developed methods, e.g. the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). According to the German Heart Foundation, millions of people in Germany are suffering from heart disease. Since 2000, the mortality rate for cardiac arrhythmias and valve diseases has been steadily increasing. "That's why the Heart Foundation's educational activities are essential for reducing mortality and inpatient admission because of heart disease - in addition to medical care in clinics and practices -" emphasized Prof. Meinertz. (no, ad)