Health experts have warned that heart disease in women is rising in Pakistan. Pakistani women recorded the highest death rate from ischaemic heart disease among five South Asian countries studied. Cardiologists, physicians and gynaecologists shared the warning at the Karachi Press Club ahead of World Heart Day. They also said high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity are raising the risk.
Prof Dr Mansoor Ahmed of the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases said the belief that women do not develop heart disease has proven wrong. He said women often put their own health behind household responsibilities. Families, however, also fail to give enough attention to women’s medical needs. Moreover, he urged regular screening for women living with diabetes, high blood pressure or obesity.
Prof Dr Tazeen Abbas said women’s heart health needs attention during pregnancy, after childbirth and after menopause. Many women stop prescribed medicines during pregnancy or discontinue blood pressure treatment after delivery. She therefore urged women to consult doctors instead of stopping treatment on their own.
Furthermore, she warned that pregnancy-associated cardiomyopathy can become serious if doctors do not diagnose and treat it in time. Anaemia and closely spaced pregnancies also burden women’s health.
Dr Halima Yasmeen said doctors detected heart disease in around four percent of pregnant women screened at her clinical service. Pregnancy offers an important chance to detect high blood pressure and undiagnosed heart disease. Meanwhile, Prof Dr Shabnam Naveed said lack of screening remains one of the biggest barriers to prevention. Cardiovascular risk factors appeared in more than 90 percent of women attending the diabetes clinic at JPMC.
Prof Dr Fawad Farooq said stress is another major contributor. Pakistan lacks an effective primary and secondary cardiovascular care network. Specialized hospitals therefore handle large numbers of heart attack and chest pain patients. Still, some patients stop taking prescribed medicines soon after angioplasty, which increases the risk of complications.
A 2026 study in JACC: Asia backs the warning. The study compared Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan using Global Burden of Disease estimates. Pakistan was the only country where deaths relative to estimated cases were higher among women than men. High blood pressure and diets low in vegetables and fibre led the contributors to deaths among Pakistani women.
Finally, PharmEvo’s Samar Iqbal said the Discovering Diabetes and Discovering Hypertension initiatives help identify people who do not know they have these conditions. The campaign now focuses on heart disease in women and brings medical societies together to promote screening, prevention and timely treatment.
