The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) warned that the women has a higher risk of having a heart attack or developing cardiovascular diseases at younger ages, in addition to the fact that these conditions continue to be undervalued, underdiagnosed and undertreated in this sector of the population.

The cardiologist Gabriela Borrayo Sánchez of the UNAM pointed out that it is necessary to make visible the barriers faced by women to attend to your cardiovascular healthsince even when they receive treatment, the risks remain high.

The researcher explained that, before the implementation of the protocol Heart attack codeseven out of ten women did not receive timely medical attention, due to the presence of atypical symptoms since they usually delay seeking help up to six hours longer than men.

“This is worrying because heart attacks occur earlier in women.”

Gabriela Borrayo Sánchezcardiologist at UNAM

Cardiovascular risk in women, higher and earlier

A study carried out in Mexico with more than 62 thousand patients revealed that women are more likely to have a heart attack compared to men.

According to the data presented, the cardiovascular risk factors They are more frequent in women, since they register:

• 52.7% more than diabetes
• 69.3% more cases of hypertension
• 35.1% more than dyslipidemias

“Although men get heart disease more, when they reach the diagnosis the prognosis is different, because in women they have up to four years for a heart attack to occur, while in men the period is up to ten yearshe indicated Borrayo Sánchez.

At the moment, Women are 29% more likely to reinfarction, 28% higher risk of angina pectoris, 40% more than heart failure and 18% kidney failure, compared to men.

Heart attack warning signs in women

American Heart Association He highlighted that many women believe that the symptoms of a heart attack are unmistakable. However, these Signs may not be obvious and may be confusing.

• Uncomfortable feeling of pressure, tightness, or pain in the center of the chest. It may last more than a few minutes or disappear and reappear.
• Pain or discomfort in:
  • Arms (one or both)
  • Back
  • Neck
  • Jaw
  • Stomach
• Difficulty breathing with or without chest discomfort.
• Other signs may be
  • cold sweat
  • Nausea
  • Dizziness

As in men, the most common symptom of a heart attack in women is chest pain or discomfort.

“Some women who have a heart attack describe pressure in their upper back that feels like a squeeze or like a rope is being tied.”

American Heart Association

This association highlighted that the Women may have other symptoms that are generally less associated with a heart attackas:

• Anxiety
• Difficulty breathing
• upset stomach
• Pain in the shoulder, back or arm.
• Unusual tiredness and weakness

Obesity and habits, key factors

For her part, the head of the Department of Embryology and Genetics of the UNAM Faculty of Medicine, Ana Lilia Rodríguez Venturawarned that the overweight and the obesity in women should be considered chronic diseasesdue to the systemic inflammation they cause and their impact on premature aging.

The specialist pointed out that until 50% of girls in Mexico have a altered body fat percentagewhich can lead to problems such as polycystic ovariesacne or reproductive complications in adulthood.

“75% of adults in Mexico suffer from this disease and we no longer realize when a child is obese or overweight”warned the expert.

Given this panorama, the specialists agreed that adopting healthy habits can reduce the risk of developing by up to 89% diabetes either cardiovascular diseases. The recommendations include increasing the physical activityimprove the feedingreduce consumption of processed foodsas well as avoiding tobacco and the alcohol.