Women and heart attacks

Well ladies and gents, here is one gender gap that we wish didn't exist and according to researchers is still surprising to medical researchers. In a newspaper article for the Houston Chronicle, the report from the journal "Circulation" was cited. It discusses the journal article which is put out by the American Heart Association and reveals that women have two times more of a possibility of dying from heart attacks than men within the first 24 hours of being hospitalized after the attack. 

Why? There are several contributing factors:

• women don't get the  appropriate therapies and surgeries (including aspirin, angioplasty, beta blockers, reperfusion) (Ackerman, 2008).
• there exists among healthcare workers a mindset that heart disease is more of a man's issue rather than a woman's.
• women are not familiar with the symptoms of a heart attack, therefore they are more likely to dismiss them as indigestion, stress, etc.

This study was conducted using data from 420 hospitals between the years of 2001 and 2006. The reporter notes that many U.S. hospitals did not participate in the study, which in my opinion, is scary. 

Here's what I think;

It is time to step up the efforts for educating women. If women still don't know the signs and symptoms of a heart attack then more needs to be done by the American Heart Association, Public Health professionals, medical  professionals and wellness professionals. This is clearly a call to action for community groups, churches, schools, medical professionals and everyone who cares about the women in their lives to do all they can to get educated and informed on the issue and stop heart disease from taking any more lives than it has to. There is no reason why women should not be informed about heart disease or the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.  So let's get to it gang. If you need information here are a few resources: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease and The American Heart Association. Don't sit still on this people. Make up your mind in 2009 to get educated and educate others regarding heart disease and heart attacks.

What do you think? Let me know.