Pakistani women face highest heart disease mortality in South Asia, study finds

Pakistani women face highest heart disease mortality in South Asia, study finds

KARACHI: Pakistani women have the highest death rate from ischaemic heart disease among five South Asian countries, with high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity identified as factors increasing their risk, health experts said on Monday. On the eve of World Heart Day, cardiologists, gynaecologists and local industry leaders gathered at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) to announce the launch of a nationwide ‘Her Heart Matters’ campaign. The campaign was launched by PharmEvo in collaboration with the Pakistan Cardiac Society, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Pakistan, the Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine, and Go Red for Women to promote screening, awareness and education for early detection and timely treatment of cardiovascular risks. The experts said that a 2026 study published in JACC: Asia compared Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan using Global Burden of Disease estimates. On the eve of World Heart Day, experts call for greater screening and follow-up as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity raise cardiovascular risks among women The study found that Pakistan had the highest age-standardised death rate from ischaemic heart disease among women in the five countries in 2021. Pakistan was also the only country studied where the ratio of deaths to estimated cases was higher among women than men, at 4.4 per cent compared with 3.1pc. High blood pressure and diets low in vegetables and fibre were identified as leading contributors to heart disease deaths among Pakistani women. The experts, speaking at a press conference at KPC, said heart disease among women was often ignored due to misconceptions that it mainly affected men, inadequate screening and poor follow-up during pregnancy, after childbirth and after menopause. Prof Dr Tazeen Abbas, secretary general of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Pakistan, said women’s heart health needed attention before and during pregnancy, after childbirth and after menopause. She said many women stopped prescribed medicines during pregnancy or discontinued blood-pressure treatment after delivery, and should instead consult their doctors. High blood pressure during pregnancy was often forgotten after childbirth, she said, and pregnancy-associated cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle weakens around pregnancy, could be serious if not treated in time. Prof Dr Halima Yasmeen, chairperson and head of department at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), said heart disease had been detected in around four per cent of pregnant women screened at her clinic. Prof Dr Shabnam Naveed, head of medicine at JPMC and Jinnah Sindh Medical University, said more than 90pc of women attending JPMC’s diabetes clinic had one or more cardiovascular risk factors. Though a high-risk hospital group, the figure showed the close link between diabetes, hypertension, obesity and heart disease, she added, and lack of screening remained a barrier. Prof Dr Fawad Farooq, general secretary of the Pakistan Cardiac Society, said stress was another important contributor to cardiovascular disease. Women could add walking and other physical activities to their routines even with limited space or time, he added. He said specialised cardiac hospitals were receiving large numbers of patients with heart attacks and chest pain because “Pakistan lacked an effective primary and secondary cardiovascular care network”. “At the NICVD, spaces meant for one patient sometimes have to accommodate several patients, while multiple heart-attack patients can arrive at the same time,” Prof Farooq said, adding that tertiary hospitals alone could not manage Pakistan’s growing cardiovascular burden. He said some patients stopped taking prescribed medicines within weeks of undergoing angioplasty, exposing themselves to further complications. Stronger primary care, proper follow-up and continued use of medicines were necessary to prevent repeat heart attacks and reduce pressure on specialised hospitals. Dr Mansoor Ahmed, Professor of Cardiology at the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases, said the longstanding belief that women did not develop heart disease had been proved wrong. He said heart disease affected women as well as men, but Pakistani women often placed their own health behind household responsibilities. Families also failed to give adequate attention to women’s medical needs, while limited physical activity was increasing their risk. He added that diabetes had become a major public health problem in Pakistan and frequently occurred alongside cardiovascular disease. “Women living with diabetes, high blood pressure or obesity require regular screening to identify heart disease before serious complications develop,” he said. Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2026