HEALTH
b e t t e r
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> > the gender gap
Stretchy blood vessels in women
may make heart disease more
difficult to diagnose than in men.
Experts have known for years that
men and women aren’t equal when
it comes to heart disease, but new
research spotlights the need for
women and their doctors to fully
understand gender differences.
“We have a lot of catching up to
do in women’s heart disease,” says
Dr. Angela M. Taylor, co-director of
the Diabetes Cardiovascular Clinic at
the University of Virginia. To bridge
the information gap, Taylor is
launching a study to examine and
compare plaque deposits inside
arteries of men and women.
Cardiologists are discovering
fascinating differences between the
genders. For example, Taylor says,
women’s arteries simply behave
differently than men’s.
W hen cholesterol, or plaque,
builds up in women, their arteries
tend to enlarge to accommodate it.
In men, the plaque simply blocks the
arteries. Because standard tests look
for blockages, women’s plaque often
remains hidden. Some scientists
believe that, in addition to dietary
means, damaging cholesterol
deposits may occur during
pregnancy in some women.
“We do know that this plaque
buildup can cause heart attacks. It
can also cause symptoms of chest
pain, shortness of breath, and
fatigue. The problem is that it isn’t
diagnosed as coronary disease,
because our current testing methods
cannot diagnose this diffuse disease,”
Taylor says. “This early disease may
have something to do with why
women die more often than men in
the setting of a heart attack.”
If you’re experiencing chest pain
yet standard tests don’t reveal what’s
wrong, insist that your doctor
evaluate the causes, Taylor says. (See
“Step in for Screening”
page
19
S.)
— BY SARA ALTSHUL
Excerptedfrom
Heart-Healthy Living,
Spring
2010
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