‘My heart almost killed me at 22’
“I thought I was almost invincible… and then I suddenly collapsed in the middle of the sports hall and nobody really knew what was wrong with me.”
TL;DR
- Kaitlin Lawrence, aged 22, collapsed during a netball warm-up due to a heart rhythm disorder, later diagnosed as arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.
- Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide for both men and women, yet women are often unaware of their risks.
- Symptoms of heart attack can be less obvious in women, with chest pain not always present and pain sometimes radiating to other body parts.
- Women may experience anxiety, nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, palpitations, and cold sweats, with unexplained fatigue often preceding these symptoms.
- Healthcare professionals can misinterpret symptoms in women, and women are less likely to seek immediate medical attention, receive timely treatment, and have lower survival rates compared to men.
- Kaitlin is now an advocate for cardiac screening in athletes, leading to the implementation of cardiac checks for netball players in the UK.
- The World Heart Federation (WHF) highlights that 30% of all female deaths are due to cardiovascular diseases.