Major gaps miss women's heart attack risk and symptoms

Women who experience heart disease, including heart attacks, are facing misdiagnosis or under treatment due to critical gaps in how their symptoms are recognised by health professionals.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and the second in Australia but experts say pre-menopausal women, typically under the age of 50, face significantly worse outcomes as they don't fit what is considered the 'traditional' risk profile.

Studies show these women face a higher likelihood of death or complications from heart disease compared to men of the same age.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has released new global guidance led by Australian cardiologist and director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute Jason Kovacic.

The guidance highlights how atypical symptoms and outdated assumptions continue to delay care for younger women and calls for urgent action to close these gaps in health care.

"Too many women are missing out on timely diagnosis and treatment for heart attacks because the system isn't designed to properly recognise these patients," Professor Kovacic said.

"We need better recognition and more clinical research focused on women to ensure these different presentations are understood and incorporated into guidelines, so that every woman gets the correct diagnosis and optimal treatment."

The AHA statement advised current clinical guidelines lack detail related to the various causes of heart attacks in pre-menopausal women.

Delays in care can often be a result of not recognising women's heart attack symptoms both by patients themselves and by doctors in emergency settings.

While chest pain is the most common sign, women can also experience subtler symptoms such as jaw or back pain, nausea, sweating, fatigue or simply feeling "not right".

The AHA statement is calling for stronger follow-up care to address common secondary risk factors as well as issues linked to pregnancy and recommends cardiac rehabilitation programs as well as mental health support.

"We know the gaps and now we need to close them," Prof Kovacic said.

"Heart disease does not have an age limit, and pre-menopausal women deserve the same urgency and quality of care as any other patient with a suspected heart attack."