Next week marks World Heart Day. While discussions about cardiovascular diseases generally focus on men, this time the spotlight is on women.

According to Anu Hedman, a cardiologist at the East Tallinn Central Hospital's (ITK) Heart Center, there is, unfortunately, a rising trend in cardiovascular disease-related mortality among women. Hedman explains that this is because women are often underestimated and undertreated when it comes to heart health. "Women's symptoms differ slightly from men's. We have always believed that women are evolutionarily more protected, at least until menopause. But after menopause, things start to happen – the female body, unfortunately, begins to age and sometimes quite rapidly."

Hedman also noted that in cases of acute heart attacks and strokes, women tend to seek help later than men. "Women's symptoms are a bit different; in the case of a heart attack, there isn't the classic radiating pain. A woman might just feel very tired, experience a strange heaviness in her chest or, in older individuals, even confusion. We don't recognize these symptoms as well because they simply manifest differently in women," she said, pointing out that as a result, women often reach the hospital later and receive help later.

Tiina Meeri, an art teacher, suffered a heart attack 11 years ago after going for a swim. "I was supposed to return to school on Monday, and I had completed a huge amount of work, which meant I was definitely overworked. But I had a very positive attitude, I felt fine, and I had never taken a sick day in my life," she recalled. After swimming, while dressing, she raised her arm to grab a piece of clothing from the top shelf. "At that moment, I felt like something was leaving me, but I had no pain," she remembered. Meeri knew from her husband's hospital roommate's experience that she shouldn't try to stand up, so she crawled 60 meters to reach a security guard, who eventually called an ambulance for her.

Kerli Maro suffered a stroke ten years ago after a snowboarding accident in the Alps, which caused a trauma from a fall. "At first, I didn't realize that there was anything wrong with my head. My hip hurt, I couldn't stand up and they closed the mountain and called in a helicopter," she recalled. Maro spent three days in an Italian hospital, during which headaches began to develop. Despite the risks, she flew home, but the headaches persisted.

"I went to my family doctor to ask about the worsening headaches, but they weren't severe enough to warrant an ER visit. Perhaps this is a good example of how women often downplay their problems, thinking they're smaller than they actually are," Maro said. One late Saturday evening, while she was home alone with her nine-year-old daughter, she turned her head and felt a crack in her neck. "That's when everything collapsed. I couldn't stand anymore. At first, I didn't call an ambulance but phoned a friend who had studied medicine. She told me not to wait and to call the ambulance immediately." By the time Maro reached the hospital, she could no longer see, her head was spinning intensely and she was vomiting constantly. After spending a couple of days in the intensive care unit, she was informed that she had suffered a cerebral infarction. Maro had to relearn how to walk and the dizziness and double vision lasted for weeks.

Both women were saved by the fact that they received help quickly enough. Dr. Hedman urges people to get regular health check-ups. "Everyone over the age of 30 should know their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They should know what's in their genetic profile. We all know what a healthy lifestyle should look like, but changing lifestyle habits is one of the hardest things to do – people are often prisoners of their habits. Female smokers will end up in our care sooner or later," said the cardiologist, noting that women suffer significantly more from high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes compared to men. "These are things that are easy to detect and prevent. Risks must be mitigated, and if we do that, we can overcome these challenges, and there will be more Estonians around in the future," Hedman concluded.

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