Skip to content

Eliminating the Disparity in Medical Care Between Men and Women

In men, frequent signals of a heart attack may encompass chest and shoulder discomfort, dizziness, and breathing problems. However, in women, symptoms can be less conspicuous and might be overlooked by medical professionals for extended periods. Symptoms such as limb numbness, vomiting,...

Unveiling the Inequality in Healthcare Based on Gender
Unveiling the Inequality in Healthcare Based on Gender

Eliminating the Disparity in Medical Care Between Men and Women

In the pursuit of a better world for women's healthcare, a reworking of the research process, more action, and attention are essential [1]. This is particularly evident in the field of cardiology, where women's symptoms of heart attacks are frequently overlooked and misdiagnosed, contributing to higher mortality rates among women.

One of the primary reasons for this oversight is the non-classic symptoms women often experience. Unlike men, who typically exhibit severe chest pain during a heart attack, women may present with symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, jaw or neck pain, anxiety, and cold sweats [2][3]. These symptoms can be easily mistaken for other conditions like stomach issues or stress, leading to delayed diagnoses.

Another factor is the less pronounced chest pain women may experience. While they might feel a squeezing pressure, fullness, or mild discomfort in the chest, this can be missed or underestimated [2][3]. Additionally, the atypical presentation of symptoms in women can confuse healthcare providers if they are not trained to recognise these differences, leading to misdiagnosis [4].

Furthermore, both patients and healthcare providers often have a biased understanding of heart attack symptoms, expecting men's typical symptoms like chest pain and arm pain [4]. This lack of awareness contributes to the problem.

The consequences of these oversights are significant. Misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis can result in delayed treatment, increasing the risk of serious heart damage and mortality [2][4]. Women are more often misdiagnosed than men, with studies indicating a misdiagnosis rate about 5% for women compared to 3% for men [4].

To address these disparities, robust legislation is needed to ensure an even split of male and female test subjects in clinical trials and to separate their data to examine differences [5]. The male body has historically been considered the universal standard in medicine, but this is a practice that must change to improve outcomes for women.

Moreover, many studies still fail to include enough women to draw meaningful conclusions about how different treatments might affect them [5]. This perpetuates a cycle of misdiagnosis and inadequate treatments for women.

Raising awareness about conditions that predominantly or exclusively affect women is crucial to bolstering research focusing on them. Updating medical school curricula with new information on women's health is necessary for progress [6]. The NIH's 1993 Revitalization Act, which required the inclusion of women and minorities in clinical trials, and the NIH's 2016 policy on Sex as a Biological Variable (SABV), which has been the most impactful in broadening the scope of research in both preclinical and clinical trials, are steps in the right direction [6].

Improving awareness and education about these differences is crucial to reducing the mortality gap between men and women. Early recognition and prompt medical intervention are key to improving survival rates for women experiencing heart attacks.

  1. To support women's health in the realm of cardiovascular health, it's crucial to concentrate on photography and news media to highlight the importance of recognizing less typical symptoms of heart attacks in women.
  2. In the pursuit of fairer medical research, there must be an increased focus on editorial pieces and scientific studies that specifically explore and address medical-conditions, health-and-wellness, and womens-health, especially in cardiovascular health.
  3. Addressing the issue of women's health misdiagnosis requires not only action and attention but also a reevaluation of existing cardiovascular health research methods to ensure considerate representation of female test subjects.
  4. By championing health-and-wellness initiatives that focus on womens-health, we can encourage the development of targeted treatments for cardiovascular health and help reduce the mortality gap between men and women, ultimately improving overall health outcomes for women.

Read also:

    Latest