Women with Irregular Heartbeat Are in Danger More than Men

It seems that women with irregular heartbeat are in danger more than men when it comes to cardiovascular diseases, says a study conducted at the Oxford University. According to it, the risk factor of developing cardiovascular diseases is almost twice as high in women with an irregular heartbeat as in men.

The team from Oxford University conducted by Dr. Connor Emdin reviewed a total of 30 studies that involved almost 4 million patients in order to determine if atrial fibrillation, or more commonly known as irregular heartbeat, is more dangerous to women than it is to men.

The results, which are published in the BMJ medical journal, were surprising, to say the least. It appears that women have almost twice the risk of developing fatal cardiovascular diseases than men.

The reasons for this risks may be that the medication used to treat the atrial fibrillation doesn’t respond so well in women, or that the female population is usually diagnosed much later than men. This leads to an under-treated female segment which is at high risks at the moment.

The experts that have analyzed Emdin’s findings say that the study should be taken into consideration by all physicians and more measures to prevent death on account of cardiovascular diseases should be taken and implemented. Experts believe that doctors should pay more attention to women with an irregular heartbeat so that they could diagnose, treat and monitor them with more success.

Men and women both can check if they have an irregular heartbeat by analyzing their pulse for an interval of only 30 seconds. In this time, patients must be wary of any signs of irregularity in the pulse. An irregularity would be an extra beat that sticks in between the normal rhythm or a missed beat. Sometimes people can show such irregularities and not have atrial fibrillation. It is when the pulse seems like it hasn’t got a clear pattern of beating that is when the person should immediately consult a doctor.

Atrial fibrillation can also cause a very fast pulse, leading to symptoms as dizziness, a shortness of the breath, even nausea, in some cases.

Because irregular heartbeat is the number one cause of cardiovascular diseases in the world, doctors advise the general population to have themselves checked up on a regular basis. Atrial fibrillation can lead to heart failure and even strokes. And it seems that women with irregular heartbeat are in danger more than men.

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