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Survey: Most women unaware that screening for heart disease should start early
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A survey commissioned by Orlando Health found that few women knew that simple screenings to detect risk for heart disease should begin at age 20 years.
According to the results of the survey, only 8% of women answered “20 to 29 years old” when asked “at what age should an otherwise healthy person without any risk factors (eg, obesity, family history, heart disease) begin getting heart screenings (blood test, echocardiogram, ECG, stress test)?”
Of the 1,062 women who responded from a total survey population of 2,054 U.S. adults, more than 60% said screenings were not necessary until age 30 years or older, and 28% said they were not sure of the appropriate age. On average, female respondents said an otherwise healthy person without any risk factors should start getting screened for heart disease at age 41 years.
Results among male respondents were similar.
“The most important finding is that most individuals don’t know that it is extremely important that ... screenings should start early,” Maria Carolina Demori, MD, co-director of the cardio-oncology program, director of the advanced HF program and director of the Women’s Heart Center at Orlando Health, said in an interview with Cardiology Today. “We should start taking care of our risk factors at a very early age, and not wait until middle age to take care of ourselves. It was interesting that most of the female population thought 20 years of age is not the right age to start measuring basic factors like BP, cholesterol and sugar.”
More education and more raising of awareness is needed, Demori said.
“In general, awareness of heart disease in women has significantly increased, particularly with [the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women] campaign,” she said. “However, we still need more education, particularly in children, adolescents and young adults. It is something we sorely need to start doing in the schools. Linking ... exercise to decreased risk for CVD, stroke, heart disease and HF is something we should start working on.”
The perception remains that “heart disease is something that affects us when we’re older, as we age, which is certainly true,” Demori told Cardiology Today. “However, it can happen earlier, often because of genetic risk factors. ... As our survival from other conditions increases, we will develop heart disease more, and we can work on our risk factors to decrease the likelihood of getting this disease that can lead to significant events. If we start educating our children earlier, we can decrease our risk profile as we age.” – by Erik Swain
For more information:
Maria Carolina Demori, MD, can be reached at 1000 W. Broadway St., Suite 105A, Oveido, FL 32765; email: mariac.demori@orlandohealth.com.
Disclosure: Demori reports no relevant financial disclosures.