One in five older women living in Britain has heart disease, a study reveals. The figure is much higher than previously thought.

Researchers at Bristol University also identified huge variations across the country, with women in Scotland most at risk of developing the condition.

In addition, they found that many women over the age of 60 are not receiving the treatment they need.

This study appears to make a good assessment of the scale of what we know is a serious problem amongst women Fiona Kirkwood, British Heart Foundation

The researchers urged doctors to do more to help these women and to encourage them to adopt healthier lifestyles.

Dr Debbie Lawlor and colleagues based their findings on a study of 4,300 women between the ages of 60 and 79 from across Britain.

Diagnosis

They found that one in five had been diagnosed with a heart attack, angina, heart failure, stroke or vascular disease.

However, many of these women had failed to make any changes to their lifestyle to reduce their chances of dying from the condition.

One in eight continued to smoke and one in three was obese - both major risk factors.

Similarly, nine out of 10 had high cholesterol levels and one in three had high blood pressure.

The study indicated that some of the blame for this may lie with doctors.

Less than half of these women had been prescribed key drugs to thin their blood. Just one in five were taking medicines to lower their cholesterol.

Rates of disease were highest in Scotland. The lowest rates were recorded in the South of England.

Overall, the study revealed that a large proportion of women over the age of 60 are at risk of developing heart disease.

Researchers found that one in eight smokes and one in four is obese. Half have high blood pressure and half have high cholesterol.

They said more needs to be done to encourage older women to adopt healthier lifestyles.

They also called for improvements in the medical care given to these patients.

Serious problem

The British Heart Foundation said heart disease in women was a serious problem.

Fiona Kirkwood, a cardiac nurse at the BHF, said: "It is hard to estimate the number of people living with heart or circulatory disease, but this study appears to make a good assessment of the scale of what we know is a serious problem amongst women.

"Levels of medication to prevent and treat heart disease are all rising in the UK, in line with increasing demand and government targets introduced to tackle previously inadequate supervision, but healthcare providers do need to ensure that women are given equal access.

"It is also important for researchers to increase the number of women participating in clinical trials in order to help learn more about women and heart disease.

"The BHF is working to develop a greater awareness of heart disease and to educate women on how they can reduce the risks to their hearts."

The study is published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.