Revised heart attack definition could improve diagnoses for women
Major cardiovascular organizations have updated the universal definition of myocardial infarction to better categorize heart attacks, moving away from a simple numerical system. This change is particularly significant for women, as it better recognizes alternative causes like spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) that often go misdiagnosed.
Why it matters
Improving diagnostic definitions can lead to more accurate medical treatments and better health outcomes for women, who often present different symptoms than men.
Historically, women have faced delays in diagnosis and treatment because their condition does not always fit the conventional picture of a heart attack. (Envato Elements pic)
PETALING JAYA: Heart attacks are often imagined in the same way - a blocked artery, sudden chest pain and an urgent rush to hospital.
But not every heart attack follows that script. And women, in particular, have sometimes been poorly served by definitions built around the most familiar form of the condition.
Now, four major international cardiovascular organisations have agreed on a significant overhaul of how heart attacks are classified and diagnosed.
The Fifth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction, recently published in the European Heart Journal and Journal of the American College of Cardiology, replaces the previous numerical system with three broader categories: primary, secondary, and procedure-related heart attacks.
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