Heart conditions in women remain under-recognised and under-treated despite cardiovascular disease accounting for one in four female deaths.
Nearly half a million Australian women are risking heart attack or stroke by not being on preventative medications due to the common misconception heart disease mostly affects older men.
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The Heart Foundation is warning that 445,000 women could be a ticking time bomb for a heart event because they aren't being treated with recommended blood pressure and cholesterol medicines.
More than one in three high-risk women - nearly 228,000 - are on neither medication.
New modelling by the Heart Foundation shows up to 21,200 heart events could be prevented over the next five years if these 445,000 women aged 45-74 were treated with both blood pressure and cholesterol-lowering medications.
The move could also avoid close to $300 million in hospitalisation costs.
The Heart Foundation's Julie Anne Mitchell says heart conditions in women remain under-recognised and under-treated.
"A common misconception is this is a disease that only affects older men, but the reality is cardiovascular disease accounts for one in four female deaths," Ms Mitchell said in a statement on Thursday.
"This can be a lethal stereotype, with women being less likely to discuss heart health with their GP than men and slower to act on warning signs of a heart attack," she said.
Women often fared worse after a heart attack and were less likely to be prescribed medications to manage their condition or attend cardiac rehabilitation.
An estimated 2.9 million Australian women have high blood pressure and 3.5 million have high cholesterol, yet women are less likely than men to have spoken with their GP about it.
These "silent killers" are risk factors GPs monitor and manage as part of Heart Health Checks - the appointment Australians are urged not to skip as the country grapples with COVID-19 outbreaks.
"Australians are understandably worried about COVID-19, but heart disease doesn't stop during a pandemic," Ms Mitchell said.
The modelling is based on the latest population and biomedical health survey data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, with cost data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare health expenditure database.
