Over 320,000 women in the South West are living with heart and circulatory disease, according to latest figures from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
Current statistics from the UKs leading heart research charity has also found that over 7,500 women in the South West are dying from conditions such as heart attack and stroke each year.
While heart attack survival rates have greatly improved, there is still no way of preventing people from developing coronary heart disease as they get older.
BHF-funded research has also found that women have a 50 per cent higher chance than men of receiving the wrong initial diagnosis following a heart attack. This can lead to poorer outcomes.
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “These figures reveal the high and growing burden of heart and circulatory disease in the South West.
“They specifically highlight that women are not immune to heart diseases and there is a need for more awareness so they receive better and prompt care.
“We urgently need to fund more research to better understand the impact of heart disease and help develop new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat it.”
The BHF currently invests over £20 million in the South West in cardiovascular research and has 85 active research grants across the nation.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an umbrella term for diseases including coronary heart disease, angina, heart attack and stroke.
There are an estimated 3.5 million women living with CVD in the UK, with around 78,000 dying from conditions such as heart attack and stroke each year, accounting for a quarter of all female deaths.
