the risk of dying from cardiac arrest is twice as high in women as in men

Contrary to popular belief, women’s hearts are not protected by hormones, especially after menopause. The increase in certain risk factors such as stress, smoking, or a sedentary lifestyle also plays an unfavorable role.

Sexist prejudices also exist for cardiovascular diseases, recalls the Agir pour le coeur des femmes foundation, on the occasion of World Heart Day, Sunday September 29. When cardiac arrest occurs outside of hospital, women have twice the risk of death compared to men.

This sad statistic can be explained by a succession of losses of opportunity due to preconceived ideas and bad reflexes, indicates Professor Claire Mounier Vehier, cardiologist at Lille University Hospital. Firstly, in the minds of the general public, heart attacks or cardiac arrests remain male diseases. If a young woman feels unwell in the street, witnesses first think of vagal discomfort, or hypoglycemia, which delays the use of cardiac massage. Furthermore, studies show that passers-by are more reluctant to perform cardiac massage on a woman, for fear of an inappropriate gesture on the chest. However, doctors point out that cardiac massage is carried out on the sternum, therefore on the bone in the middle of the thorax, not at the level of the breasts. And when no first aid action is taken, victims die in nine out of ten cases.

We must stop thinking that women’s hearts are protected by hormones. This effect occurs before menopause, but it is unfortunately increasingly counterbalanced by women’s lifestyle and the increase in certain risk factors such as stress, smoking, or a sedentary lifestyle. If we add to this the use of contraceptives or excess cholesterol, which is sometimes ignored, this explains why the number of hospitalizations of women under 50 for myocardial infarction increases by 5% per year in France, and why cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of female mortality, with two hundred deaths per day.

Although cardiac warning signals are not necessarily the same in men and women, women especially often pay less attention to them. These signals can materialize in more marked shortness of breath, distressing discomfort in the chest, sometimes digestive disorders, or dizziness. If in doubt, call 15, Samu. There is still an encouraging figure. Eight out of ten cardiovascular deaths could be avoided with a healthy lifestyle and regular medical monitoring.