Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) affect more women than men in India and nearly two-thirds of the deaths from heart attacks in women occur among those who have no history of chest pain, said a research released here Friday.

Conducted by the Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, the study says that it is a myth that heart disease only affects older, male, rich populations as recent studies prove that Indian women are more vulnerable to coronary diseases than men.


As per the study, almost 71 percent of women in India sense early warnings of heart attacks with sudden weakness but misunderstand it as flu.

Women with hypertension suffer 3.5 times more from coronary heart disease than women with normal blood pressure. A women who smokes is in grave danger as it leads to an attack 19 years earlier than her non-smoking counterpart.

"Women need to modify their lifestyle. Our working hours are bizarre, eating habits have changed drastically. Smoking and alcohol have taken over our lives especially the dependence on processed food," Atul Mathur, Director, Interventional Cardiology, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute said.

"Our physical activity has reduced radically that has resulted in obesity taking epidemic proportions. Women are ignorant of the fact that family history is another cause of heart ailments and therefore there is a need to be more careful and protective towards themselves."

According to Escorts, by 2030, it is expected that 23 million people will die from CVDs annually, women being the maximum victims.