Men and women experience similar heart failure symptoms, but females are more likely to ignore red flags.
Ignoring warning signs of serious heart events can lead to fatality, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada reported.
"The main danger is that when someone comes to the hospital with a more severe or advanced stage of heart disease, there are simply fewer treatment options available," said Dr. Catherine Kreatsoulas, lead author of the study and a Fulbright Scholar and Heart and Stroke Foundation Research Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The researchers interviewed cardiac patients about their experiences with angina (pain caused by suppressed blood and oxygen to the heart) and what prompted them to seek medical care.
The researchers coined the term "symptomatic tipping point," which means the transitional phase between symptom onset and when the individual chooses to seek medical attention. The period comes in six stages: a period of uncertainty; denial or dismissal of symptom; seeking advice from someone such as a friend or family member; recognition of symptom severity accompanied by feeling of defeat; seeking medical attention; and acceptance.
The researchers found women stayed in the denial phase for a longer period of time than men.
"Women would wait for others to tell them they looked horrible," Dr. Kreatsoulas said. "Women displayed more of an optimistic bias, feeling that the symptoms would pass and get better on their own."
Most patients initially attribute symptoms to less serious conditions such as heartburn or a pulled muscle.
"But when women feel even a small improvement in symptoms, they seem to dismiss them for a longer period of time," Dr. Kreatsoulas said.
The disparity could be due to the fact that heart disease is often thought of as a "man's disease," even though it is known to be a leading cause of mortality for women, or that some women tend to let their caregiver roles take precedent.
"Angina is a warning signal that you are at increased risk of a heart attack, cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death," says Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson Dr. Beth Abramson and author of Heart Health for Canadians. "If you experience this kind of chest pain, see your doctor immediately to determine the cause and get treatment if necessary."
The Canadian Cardiovascular Congress is co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
