It is commonly believed that women are protected from heart attacks and require higher risk factor for disease development. But present day scenario is entirely different from this established notion. According to statistics, the number of coronary diseases in women have increased by 300 percent in the last five years. World Heart Day was celebrated on 28 September. Throughout the country, various seminars and discussions were organized. The main concern of the medical health experts during these events was the steep decline in general health of heart in Indian women.Various disturbing facts were presented by medical experts.

One of the most disturbing facts was that arteries of Indian women are narrower as compared to men hence they are more vulnerable to coronary diseases. Madhukar Shahi, senior interventional cardiologist of Gurgaon-based Artemis Health Institute, said on World Heart Day that since arteries in women are narrower, risk factors have a bigger impact. Coronary and heart diseases need to be more aggressively managed in women than men.

According to statistics, the mortality rate among women suffering from cardiovascular diseases is also higher than that of men across the world, including India. Experts believe that main reason behind the increased mortality rate in women is the changes in lifestyle in metropolitan cities. In big cities women are working graveyard (late) shifts and more and more women are taking help of smoking and drinking to deal with the stress of personal and professional life.

Dr Shahi believes that negative lifestyle associated with depression, smoking, alcoholism, lack of exercise, poor diet and lack of social support increases the risk of heart disease and interfers with treatment. 

Samir Parikh, a leading psychologist at Max Healthcare and a health columnist said: "The primary factor that causes cardiac problems is stress. The modern Indian woman is subjected to excessive stress at home and at work. Overworking, under-resting and a higher level of frustration at work bring about greater aggression and take a toll on the quality of life." 

He added that we need to pay importance to our mental health in order to understand its impact on physical health. No matter how much you rush, it is difficult to catch up. The best is to pace oneself to avoid pressure on the heart.

Numbers of smokers is rising in the new generation of younger Indian women. Pre-menopausal smokers are thrice at risk of heart diseases than men. Some young women smoke to keep their weight down. 

According to the data collected during a study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine in India in May 2008, out of 33,000 deceased women, those who had smoked, died or suffered from heart or lung-related respiratory, vascular or neo-plastic diseases. The study also showed that the trend of smoking among women between 30 and 69 years in India rose steadily from three percent to six percent over the decades. Previous studies have associated smoking with reduction in median survival of eight years for women, compared to six years for men in the country. 

Dr Shahi said, "What makes treatment difficult for women is that surgical interventions like stenting to clear blockages in arteries is more complex as they have narrower arteries." He also added that awareness about heart disorders among Indian women was also low. 

He said that some of the major causes of coronary diseases among Indian women are diabetes, high cholesterol level or dyslipidemia, smoking, bad metabolism and premature menopause or estrogen deficiency. 

It has been proved that diabetes takes away the so-called ‘female advantage’, or the natural protection present in women of child bearing age. High blood pressure affects men and women equally. Data collected during the Inter Heart study proved that abdominal obesity, increased waist-hip ratio and high levels of cholesterol are more common in women with heart disease.