Male GPs check fewer women than men for heart disease, study claims
Researchers say the findings suggest male GPs still see heart disease as a condition affecting only men
MALE GPs check fewer women than men for heart disease, a study claims.
They are also less likely to collect data from female patients on risk factors such as smoking, blood sugar levels and cholesterol.
Researchers say the findings suggest male GPs still see heart disease as a condition affecting only men.
It may also explain why cardiac-related deaths have fallen faster in men than women since 1986.
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Heart attacks and strokes kill 82,000 British women a year, compared with 79,000 men.
In the study, a Paris University team quizzed 52 French GPs and over 2,000 patients.
They found male
GPs were much less likely to quiz women on heart risks, like smoking.
Women GPs were more likely to check both sexes.
Dr Raphaelle Delpech said: “We think female GPs follow guidelines more routinely and are less likely to vary their practice — especially according to their patients’ gender.”
GPs were “more attentive” to men who had had heart attacks.
She said: “This may be because men have historically been more likely to adopt risky habits like smoking.”