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Womens heart symptoms - are they different or the same as for men?There are two things every woman needs to be aware of First is to know and recognize the symptoms. Often women don't recognize what is happening to them until it is too late. The symptoms may be vague or there may be disbelief or denial. Sometimes women put off getting help because they feel they have to look after others first. Women are used to taking care of children, grandchildren, parents, and spouses - everyone else before themselves. Second, is that although the awareness of women and heart disease is growing, many people, including health professionals, still cling to the stereotypes that it is a man's disease. If you think you might be experiencing heart problems or a heart attack, tell your doctor or attending medical professionals. Insist on being checked and don't take no for an answer. According to 2007 Heart & Stoke Foundation data, fewer Canadian women are referred to a cardiologist following a heart attack than men. As well, women are less likely to receive life-saving bypass surgery, be transferred to a facility for treatment, and experience slower response times in emergency rooms when they show up with heart attack symptoms. And in 2008, Dr. Susan K Bennett, director of the women's heart program at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. said that despite an increase in public awareness about women and the no. 1 killer - heart disease - mortality rates remain higher among women than men because women are not receiving the same level of care that men do. "Doctors need to hear the message about the significant deficits in women's heart health care and bridge this gender gap," Bennett said.
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