According to Dr. Neelam Dahiya, an assistant professor in the department of cardiology at PGI, Chandigarh, a recent study revealed that 44% of women with cardiovascular disease were obese.
Contrary to popular belief, heart disease affects men and women equally. Women are more likely to have risk factors for heart disease, and women who have heart disease tend to have worse outcomes than men. According to data from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) for the previous three years, 13–15% of women with cardiovascular disease (CVD) were under the age of 50.
According to Dr. Neelam Dahiya, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cardiology at PGI, Chandigarh, a recent study reveals that 44% of women with cardiovascular disease were obese, and only 1% of them consumed enough fruits and vegetables (at least two fruits and three vegetables per day) in their diet. Dr Dahiya said, “Women also had poor awareness about heart disease and associated risk factors. Despite these known facts, knowledge sharing and awareness about risk factors from healthcare workers is minimal. Only 47 per cent of the women were advised to reduce salt intake and less than 30 per cent were suggested to quit smoking and consume a healthy diet,” Dr Dahiya said.
“These statistics highlight the urgent need to create awareness about CVD risks among women and take preventive measures to combat this growing concern,” said Dr Dahiya on women’s health and cardiovascular awareness held on Saturday.
In India, those with obesity, sedentary lifestyles, stress, hypertension, and diabetes are at a heightened risk of developing cardiovascular illnesses. Women who present with heart illness have a 50% higher probability of dying, and heart disease accounts for 40% of all female deaths in the nation, thus the long-term outlook for these patients is not favourable. Up to 10% of the women with CVD in our Chandigarh sample were under 40 years old. Dr. Dahiya stated, “This is an alarming situation,” citing smoking, a poor diet, inactivity, and excessive salt intake as the main causes of CVD.
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