Why women with symptoms of heart disease are frequently misdiagnosed

Doctors are telling women with symptoms of heart disease that they have anxiety, indigestion or are stressed, a new study has revealed.

A new Heart Foundation study tracking the experiences of heart attack survivors shows women receive worse care than men.

Director of Health Strategy at the Heart Foundation, Julie Anne Mitchell, says it’s a “complex issue that goes all the way across the care pathway”.

“The face of heart disease is rarely female. We’re so used to seeing TV or film depictions of men collapsing on a golf course, clutching their chest,” she told Ross and Russel.

Women are far less likely to exhibit chest pain symptoms when suffering a heart attack, but there’s little public knowledge about non-chest pain symptoms.

“They can be jaw pain, arm pain, pain in the back, for some women it will be feeling extremely nauseous,” Ms Mitchell said.

“The message is to recognise those symptoms.

“Time is everything in a heart attack.”

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