More women at risk of heart disease in UAE

Heart disease also claims more lives than all cancers combined.

Women in the UAE are told not put themselves at risk, as doctors dispel the common myth of heart disease, claiming that women are just as likely to suffer from the deadly disease as men.
According to research conducted by Bayer, 30 per cent of deaths in the UAE are attributed to cardiovascular disease (CVD). The number is expected to triple over the next two decades as the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases increases.
Moreover, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveals that 50 per cent of CVD patients in some Gulf countries die before the age of 60 due to an unhealthy lifestyle. 
It is estimated that 12 million people die each year of heart attacks or strokes worldwide. Heart disease also claims more lives than all cancers combined. In the UAE, both heart disease and strokes account for more than a quarter of all deaths each year.
"The cases of heart disease in women is certainly on the rise," Dr Jairam K. Aithal, consultant, cardiovascular disease, Burjeel Hospital, told Khaleej Times.
"One of the biggest reasons is stress. Today, more women are working compared to before, and there is a certain amount of stress with maintaining work and balancing family life." 
Dr Aithal said smoking among women is also rising. "Women are less active than men, and exercise is proven to prevent or delay heart disease." Dr Aithal pointed out that chest pain in women can be different from men, thus the female patient may not be diagnosed early enough.
"These are the main reasons why the incidents of heart disease among women is climbing in the UAE."
He stressed that a long-standing myth that men are more likely to suffer from heart disease must be discarded as women and even children, are just as likely to suffer from the condition.
Dr Aithal pointed out that it is thus crucial to know the symptoms of CVDs. He explained that the general symptoms take the form of chest pain, irregular heartbeats and shortness of breath.  
However, women may not feel any chest pain and must look out for neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort, nausea or light-headedness and/or pain in one or both arms as these are symptoms of CVDs specific to women.
Women also have more gender-specific gateways to heart disease such as menopause and pregnancy. "Only when obesity and diabetes rates start to descend and the health trend starts to climb even further will it be clear that the world is changing and the message is being received by the masses."
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com