Women Dying From Strokes Because Doctors Think They're Too 'Well-Dressed'
Sep 06, 2013 19:34
If you're not feeling well, be sure not to dress up before heading to the clinic or your doctor might not take your illness seriously.
The issue here concerns a condition known as atrial fibrillation, one of the leading causes of strokes. Despite being the most common form of abnormal cardiac rhythm in women, doctors and specialists are not taking them seriously mainly because they show up "well-groomed" and "looked healthy."
In a study of more than 15,000 people, researchers at Heart Institute-Pitie Salpetriere Hospital in Paris found that many doctors are missing crucial signs of heart problems in women because of the way they look. The study found that "women below the age of 70 were 56 percent less likely to be treated for the condition, compared with men with the same risk profile."
The issue here concerns a condition known as atrial fibrillation, one of the leading causes of strokes. Despite being the most common form of abnormal cardiac rhythm in women, doctors and specialists are not taking them seriously mainly because they show up "well-groomed" and "looked healthy."
In a study of more than 15,000 people, researchers at Heart Institute-Pitie Salpetriere Hospital in Paris found that many doctors are missing crucial signs of heart problems in women because of the way they look. The study found that "women below the age of 70 were 56 percent less likely to be treated for the condition, compared with men with the same risk profile."
Dr Pierre Sabouret, lead researcher and cardiologist from Heart Institute-Pitie Salpetriere Hospital in Paris, said he believed many doctors did not realise how common the condition was among women, and failed to carry out tests to establish the likelihood of a problem.
He said: "I think doctors - GPs and cardiologists - often do not realise the risk for women. Too often they will think if a female patient looks healthy, and dresses smartly, and looks after herself, she is probably okay."
Read the rest via The TelegraphHe said: "I think doctors - GPs and cardiologists - often do not realise the risk for women. Too often they will think if a female patient looks healthy, and dresses smartly, and looks after herself, she is probably okay."
