AUSTIN (KXAN) — Every 80 seconds a woman dies from heart disease in the United States, according to the American Heart Association.
The Women’s Heart Alliance says part of the problem is that too many women with heart disease are either dismissed or misdiagnosed.
The non-profit found women complaining of heart attack symptoms were twice as likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness than men with the same symptoms.
“We’re still living in an era where women are getting misdiagnosed, we’re missing women, we’re sending them away from the emergency room and telling them their hearts are okay, or we’re not even examining their hearts,” said Dr. Martha Gulati a scientific advisor for the Women’s Heart Alliance.
“This is really resulting in in poor outcomes for women.”
The non-profit released a new PSA about the dangers of misdiagnosis and empowering women.
“I want women themselves to understand they’re at risk and advocate for themselves. If they’re worried about their hearts, if they’re not getting answers for their symptoms, they need to really insist on getting answers. And sometimes that means even finding a new doctor.”
The signs of a heart attack are often subtle and different in women than men which the WHA said can lead to misdiagnosis.
“I think most women don’t get told about these risks. So how do they understand that they’re at risk? We need more education in our healthcare community but we certainly need to empower women.”
Dr. Gulati says women and doctors should know the unique signs of a heart attack in women.
Medical advisors with the WHA also point to a lack of research specific to women, with most heart disease research done on men as part of the problem.
“We should be front and center of research, especially when the disease apply to us is the number one killer of women and the number one killer of men. Why are we excluded from research? I go to meetings every year. They present their studies and sometimes they have enrolled zero women. That’s not acceptable. Not in 2024.”
Dr. Gulati urges women to take control of their own heart health by knowing their risk and taking action.
“Women’s Heart disease remains the leading killer of women and we’ve been talking for over two decades about this. But we need to make change now.”