Women equally at risk of heart disease: campaign message
Campaign targeting women’s heart health kicks off
Dubai: Heart attacks among women are on the rise in the region due to an increase in cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure, said leading health experts on Wednesday.
Specialists estimated that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death among women, followed by cancer and road accidents.
Against the worrying data, the fourth edition of the Go Red for Women campaign to raise awareness of heart disease was announced by Majid Al Futtaim Properties.
For the first time, the CSR campaign will extend beyond the UAE, extending to Oman, Bahrain and Egypt, involving respective health authorities.
Go Red for Women is a global campaign by the American Heart Association, and is supported by more than 30 countries.
Tailored to educate women, the regional campaign will roll out free screenings at all participating malls under the Majid Al Futtaim Properties like Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre and Mirdif City Centre in Dubai as well as malls in Oman, Bahrain and Egypt.
The screening will take place during weekends in May, concluding on June 1.
She explained that though both men and women experience chest pain, women are more likely than men to experience other symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.
“The low awareness is also because women themselves don’t take symptoms seriously. This has to change because CVD is more fatal in women,” said Dr Bazargani.
Dr Elham Amiri, consultant in diabetes from the UAE Ministry of Health and member of the National Committee to Fight Diabetes, told Gulf News that Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of CVD by two to four folds.
“More and more women are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetic women who have had a heart attack have a lower survival rate than men,” she said.
Dr Cother Hajat, Head of CVD Prevention Group at the Emirates Cardiac Society and associate professor at UAE University, added, “Women tend to be diagnosed late or misdiagnosed because of the perception that the risk of CVD is far more serious in men. This traditional – and erroneous – perception has to change.”
