Change of heart

It may come as a surprise to learn that the single biggest killer of women in New Zealand is heart disease. At least two Kiwi women die from a heart attack every day. Do you know the signs?

- EVA-MARIA BOBBERT

The heart is an extraordinary machine: there’s really no other hardware on the planet that relentlessly pumps 100,000 times a day for tens of years with barely a hiccup for the majority. Yet we tend not to think much about the hard yakka it silently does until something goes wrong.

“Heart disease is not a middle-aged man’s disease. That’s a long-held misconception that we really need to correct,” says Professor Jason Kovacic, Executive Director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and practising cardiologist. “Way more women die of heart disease than breast cancer and cervical cancer combined but the message hasn’t hit home that getting your blood pressure checked is just as important as having a mammogram or pap smear.”

It’s actually more important than ever before. The major risk factors – elevated blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar – have all markedly increased since the pandemic, according to data collected through the Victor Chang Heart Health Checks. “The rates of having one of those three risk factors elevated has increased from 30 per cent to 47 per cent since the pandemic,” says Professor Kovacic.

“We were exercising less, stuck at home behind a desk and we all know about the COVID kilos. This rise in risk factors is translating into an increase in deaths.”