Two women a day are dying needlessly because of a “heart attack gender gap” that means they do not get equal treatment to men, according to research. Inequalities in awareness, diagnosis and treatment of heart attacks contributed to an estimated 8,000-plus women dying in England and Wales over a ten-year period from 2003-2013, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said. Women delayed seeking help when they experienced symptoms and there was a common perception that a heart attack was predominantly a man’s disease, the charity said. It added that twice as many women died from coronary heart disease, the underlying cause of most heart attacks, compared with breast cancer in the UK. Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, consultant cardiologist and BHF associate medical director, said: “Heart attacks have…

Source: The Times September 29, 2019 23:26 UTC