Women dying ‘unnecessarily’ of heart disease, say experts

Conventional risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, are often not treated as promptly or as appropriately in women as they are in men. Photograph: bymuratdeniz/Getty Images

Thousands of women are dying from heart disease worldwide because of the misconception that it is a “man’s disease”, doctors and scientists say.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) was the “number one killer” of women but, despite significant progress in its medical management, many were dying “unnecessarily” because they were underdiagnosed, undertreated and under-represented in clinical trials, the experts said.