Women’s biological issues have become the
forefront of several heated political debates on the campaign trail, now news of
women’s vulnerability to death from misdiagnosed symptoms of heart attack,
posit medical neglect along gender lines. According to recently published
studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) “women are
less likely to be properly treated, even when they have similar symptoms to
men.”
Heart attack has been known for decades as the
number one killer of men in the United States, but more and more studies are
showing that this statistical claim may be inaccurate. Cam Patterson, Chief of Cardiology at the
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill remarked that this research “actually
may underestimate the gender gap, because many female heart attacks never make
it to the hospital.”
The study, authored by John Canto of the
Watson Clinic and Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Florida tracked more than
1.1 million patients. In the study, 15 percent of female heart attacks die in
the hospital compared with 10 percent of men, due mainly to misdiagnosis and
inaction to stop heart attacks.
Should doctors be liable for women’s neglect at
health care facilities or should their training and medical guidelines take
center focus? The same study shows that 42% of women never experience the
classic heart attack symptoms, particularly, those women who are younger or premenopausal,
compared with 31% of men.
Although numerous campaigns launched over the
years have tried to educate women about the symptoms, both women and their
doctors have failed to recognize them or the need to seek immediate medical
attention.
The classic heart attack symptoms for women under
55 years, according to the American Heart Association are:
Number 1: Shortness of Breath
Number 2: Nausea and vomiting, and
gastrointestinal discomfort
Number 3: Light headedness and pain in the
back or jaw
Number 4: Crippling fatigue and the sudden need
to take a rest
These women face imminent danger from a myocardial
infarction (heart attack). Women at risk are: hypertensive, have high
cholesterol, are obese, and are diabetics. They should know these numbers and
start a health plan:
Number 1: Blood Pressure measure
Number 2: Cholesterol level
Number 3: Blood sugar level
Number 4: Body Mass Index (BMI)
Further, women should speak to their doctors
about aspirin control.
Besides knowing what symptoms to expect, a
woman should take full control of her own health, limiting the incidence of an
undefined medical diagnosis as much as possible
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