Why are heart attacks higher in younger women than men? PGI study has some answers

When a 32-year-old marketing executive walked into the emergency room of Fortis Hospital, Mohali, complaining of severe fatigue, mild chest discomfort and shortness of breath, she thought her blood pressure was fluctuating once again. As the staff decided to do a routine electrocardiogram (ECG), Dr Arun Kochar, additional director, cardiology, immediately ordered a troponin test, which indicates damage to the heart muscle. It showed she had already suffered a heart attack.

“Her symptoms were atypical as she did not have chest pain but her test results suggested acute myocardial infarction. An angiography revealed that she had severe blockage in major heart arteries. We had to do an emergency bypass surgery. Two years later, she is on a regular follow-up and her heart is functioning absolutely normally. Heart disease can affect any woman, regardless of age, even with the cardio-protective properties of estrogen in their reproductive years. A cocktail of smoking, alcohol, stress and birth control pills is the new trigger,” says Dr Kochar.

More info: cardiology.pencis.com

Contact: cardiology@pencis.com

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