Women have a higher risk of developing heart disease.
India has the highest rate of coronary artery disease in the world.
Changes in lifestyles, poor eating habits, physical inactivity, urbanization, smoking and increasing incidents of risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and heart diseases have become the leading causes of death worldwide. Limited access to healthcare and low awareness of heart disease exacerbate the problem, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment, especially in rural areas. Experts suggest that these factors together increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among Indians a decade earlier than those in Western countries. They suggest addressing the early age of onset and rapid progression of the disease in a timely manner.
As India records the highest rate of coronary artery disease globally, President of the Association of Physicians of India (API), Dr Milind Y Nadkar, said at a press conference: “There is a need to create more awareness of angina-like symptoms.
He further said that women have a higher risk of developing heart disease because identifying cardiovascular signs in women is difficult due to their differences in symptoms from the classic ones seen in men. “Women are more likely than men to present with unusual symptoms such as jaw or neck pain, exhaustion, and non-chest discomfort, which can present a challenge in diagnosis,” Dr. Nadkar added.
Elaborating, Dr. Nadkar said women may experience more subtle signs such as fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, and back or jaw pain instead of typical chest pain. The API president explained that hormonal fluctuations can mask or alter symptoms, particularly during menopause. This can result in doctors providing symptomatic relief solutions without addressing the underlying causes of angina. This is further aggravated when women themselves underestimate the existence of their symptoms.
Indians have a 20 to 50 percent higher coronary artery disease (CAD) mortality rate compared to other populations due to a combination of lifestyle factors, genetic predispositions and socioeconomic conditions. The high prevalence of risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, along with a sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits and smoking, contribute significantly. Genetic factors, such as higher levels of lipoprotein (a), also play a role in cardiovascular disease.
