CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE IN WOMEN

Abstract

NICVD is no longer a problem faced by the West alone; on the contrary, it is the developing countries that bear the biggest share of this disease. A staggering 86% of the global burden of CVD is in the developing countries today with 80% of the deaths due to this disease occurring in amongst these countries.1-2 Numerous studies have reported that Indians have one of the highest rates of CAD in the world1,3 and the prevalence of CAD in India has more than doubled in the past two decades. Pakistan has a very high disease burden, estimated as 5.09375 million2 A population based cross-sectional survey showed that 1 in 4 middle aged adults in Pakistan has prevalent CAD. Even after the presentation of such clear cut facts, the attitude of the Cardiologists/Physicians has not changed towards tackling women heart disease. Characteristics of atherosclerosis have been found to be different in women. Blood clot formation is higher in women owing to a higher potential of blood coagulability.The “Go Red for Women” Campaign, launched by WHO (in 2004) and adopted by the Pakistan Cardiac Society in 2007, to bring awareness about Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) in women is now reaching an epidemic proportion