New study explains the observed gender disparity between the number of men and women seeking cardiac care.
It has been found from recent study that women tend to take their heart disease in a more casual way when compared to their male counterparts. This finding could account for less number of women who turn up for cardiac treatment despite the fact that cardiac disease remains the single most killer of both women and men.
An exhaustive survey has been conducted among 490 heart patients treated for a heart attack or severe chest pain. The women under the study had lower heart capacity for daily activities, lower health-related quality of life, and lower physical, mental and general health status than men.The severity of the heart disease was rated equally amongst the male and female participants even when most of the women had a much aggressive disease and experienced more severe symptoms related to their condition. They even took more medicines.
An analysis of the response received showed that women who had major problems related to their heart disease were just as likely to rate their disease as ‘mild to moderate’ as men with far less-severe problems. As expected, the men were significantly more likely than women with similar disease levels to perceive their disease as severe.
Consistent with the results of the present study, previous studies demonstrated that women heart attack survivors are less likely to return for a review or further treatment. In addition, they display a delayed tendency to seek help for cardiac symptoms compared to men, evident from the less number of women taking up diagnostic tests and therapeutic interventions. Women are also less likely to take up exercise control or educational programs following their surgery.
It was previously thought that factors such as physician bias, ignorance about heart disease could play a significant role in the above regard. The present study has unraveled the important role played by feminine attitude, belief, perception about heart disease and treatment alike.
Statistical analysis performed on the results demonstrated that women indeed showed signs of being more immune regarding their heart condition. The findings of the study that outline variability in the disease perception could be used in designing awareness programmes for preserving cardiac function. It such issues are addressed in an appropriate way, then the currently existing gender gap in the health care delivery ca be minimized to a large extent.
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