# Heart Disease Is Now The Number One Killer Of Aussie Women

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/news-opinion/opinion/heart-disease-is-now-the-number-one-killer-of-aussie-women/
- Published: 2016-10-12T20:00:39+11:00
- Author: Clare Whitfield

#### _Heart disease now causes more deaths than most forms of cancer among Australian women, according to a university report._

The study, undertaken by the Australian Catholic University’s Mary McKillop Institute
for Health, examined the impact of heart disease on Australian women. They looked
at not only strokes and heart attacks but also broader at associated diseases such
as kidney failure and diabetes.

Focusing on this wider perspective, the report entitled the [Cardiovascular Risk and Diseases in Australian Women](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-11/heart-disease-kills-more-women-than-most-cancers-study-finds/7920880),
found that heart disease was in fact the number one killer of women. It leads to
31,000 deaths every year, which is much higher than the 12,000 deaths of women caused
by common cancers, including breast cancer. Inside this 31,000 statistic were a 
whopping 3,000 women who died before they could even be treated in hospital.

[⌊Heart disease is now the number one killer of aussie women | stay at home mum⌉⌊
Heart disease is now the number one killer of aussie women | stay at home mum⌉[

Maja-Lisa Lochan, one of the lead researchers behind the report, said that women
often failed to get medical treatment in the case of a heart attack because they
didn’t recognise the symptoms of an attack.

> _“They often think it’s asthma, tiredness, influenza and … often related to diseases
> other than heart disease,”_ Professor Lochan said._ “They avoid seeking treatment…
> more often than men.”_

### **Preventable Heart Disease At 60%**

Professor Lochan also noted that the obesity epidemic has led to much higher risk
factors for heart disease in younger women, and that the number of deaths could 
be easily reduced if certain causative factors were focused on.

> _“Sixty per cent of the causes of heart disease in women and related issues are
> preventable,”_ she said.
> _“The main causes are high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and
> smoking.”_
> _“It has to do with the Australian diet, which has a high content of sugar. All
> these risk factors are related to lifestyle and treatable conditions.”_

Worryingly, the report also concluded that many women falsely believed that heart
disease was a condition that was mainly suffered by men.

[⌊Heart attack symptoms in women and risk factors explained⌉⌊Heart attack symptoms in women and risk factors explained⌉ ](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/pennmedicine.jpg?quality=89&ssl=1)

via pennmedicine

### **Gendered�Awareness Campaigns�****Required�**

Currently, Australia’s health system spends about $3 billion annually on cardiovascular
disease-related hospital care for women. In order to reduce this figure, and also
the number of women diagnosed with heart disease,�Professor Lochan said the government
needs to invest more money in awareness campaigns, as well as gender-specific guidelines
and prevention programs.

> _“The Government should also increase funding for cardiovascular disease research
> in women,”_�she said.

The report, and its findings, will be presented to members of the Federal Parliament
at a summit on cardiovascular disease taking place in Canberra sometime today.

![author avatar](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/
12/clare_whitfield_profile.webp?quality=80&ssl=1)

 Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

 Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical
home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney,
she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school 
age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience
in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/)