The free heart checks are being offered at the Heretaunga Women's Centre Monday's during May. Photo / Warren Buckland
The free heart checks are being offered at the Heretaunga Women's Centre Monday's during May. Photo / Warren Buckland
Free heart checks for women are being offered in Hastings each Monday in May, to promote women's heart health.
Heart Foundation NZ says more than 50 New Zealand women die each week from heart disease, making it the single biggest cause of death for women in New Zealand.
Women andmen largely share the same risk factors for heart disease such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and family history.
However, women are more likely than men to experience a heart attack without chest pain or discomfort.
An international study published in 2020 concludes that women under the age of 55 can experience different heart attack symptoms to men.
Heart Foundation medical director Dr Gerry Devlin says this research provides important information on symptoms which may be different on occasions among women.
"Awareness of this and improved awareness of the less typical symptoms can hopefully prevent missed diagnoses of heart attacks in women.
"Women are also less likely to call an ambulance than men, often dismissing their symptoms as something else.
