Dr Zoe Williams investigates historical gender disparities in healthcare, focusing on heart disease. Despite the myth, heart disease is the top killer of women in the US. Discusses the impact of excluding women from drug trials and the necessity of including them. Explores the unique risk factors and challenges women face in receiving proper care for heart attacks.
Historical bias in medicine has neglected women's health needs, leading to misdiagnosis and under-treatment.
Exclusion of women from drug trials results in incorrect treatment and dosages, impacting conditions like lung cancer.
Deep dives
Recognition of Women's Health Disparities in Medicine
Women like Elizabeth Garrett Anderson faced struggles in being recognized as doctors, highlighting the historical lack of understanding in medicine about the unique health needs of women. Differences between male and female bodies extend to the cellular level, impacting various organs. Despite these differences, medical education and practice have historically favored the male body as the norm, leading to misdiagnoses and under-treatment of women.
Gender Disparities in Clinical Trials
The exclusion of women from clinical trials has been a longstanding issue, with drug testing primarily conducted on homogeneous groups of men. Reasons for excluding women ranged from pregnancy concerns to increased trial costs due to menstrual cycles. This exclusion has resulted in inadequate drug dosages and incorrect treatment for women, affecting conditions like lung cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Women's Heart Health Disparities
Heart disease, the leading global killer of women, presents challenges as traditional symptoms of heart attacks differ between men and women. Women may experience atypical symptoms like gastrointestinal issues, leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Disparities in care exist, with women being underdiagnosed, undertreated, and less likely to receive appropriate post-heart attack care.
Challenges in Recognizing and Treating Heart Attacks in Women
Recognizing heart attacks in women remains a challenge due to varied symptoms that do not fit the typical Hollywood portrayal. Delayed treatment for women contributes to higher mortality rates, with detrimental effects observed during the crucial 'golden hour.' Healthcare professionals often misinterpret women's heart attack symptoms, leading to delayed or inadequate care, showcasing the urgent need for gender-inclusive healthcare practices.
Dr Zoe Williams talks to researchers and clinicians around the world as she investigates how and why the care of women has been so neglected, and what moves are afoot to change that. She examines the historical inequalities in the diagnosis and treatment of women, particularly in the area of heart disease. There is an abiding myth that men are much more likely to suffer heart attacks than women, but heart disease is the number one killer of women in the US, and the British Heart Foundation estimates that nearly 10,000 British women would still be alive over the last decade alone had they received the same quality of care as men. This is a global problem. Dr Zoe Williams is a general practitioner in the NHS. She's also the resident doctor on ITV's This Morning and a regular expert on the BBC's The One Show. Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith Executive producer: Susan Marling
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