L a d i e s
f i r s t
A f t e r d e c a d e s
o f b e i n g o v e r l o o k e d i n h e a r t
r e s e a r c h , w o m
e n a r e f i n a l l y g e t t i n g s o m e
a t t e n t i o n —
a n d r e w r i t i n g t h e r u l e s
o n
c a r d i o v a s c u l a r h e a l t h .
BY MELINDA WENNER MOYER
N
o t lo n g ago , h ealth
e x p e rts th o u g h t
h e a rt d ise a se w a s
so m e th in g o n ly m en
had to w o r r y ab o u t.
C a s e in p o in t: W h e n th e A m e rica n
H eart A sso cia tio n held its first
p u b lic co n fe re n ce fo r w o m en in
1964, th e n am e o f th e e v e n t w as
H ea rts to H u sban ds. T h e sole
o b jective? T o te a ch w iv e s h o w to
k eep th e ir sp o u ses h e a lth y — w ith
no m en tio n o f h o w h e a rt d isea se
m ig h t b e a ffe c tin g
th em .
“ W e ’ve
co m e a lo n g w ay,” says J en n ifer
M ie re s, M .D ., a c a rd io lo g ist at
N o rth S h o re -L IJ H ealth S ystem in
N e w Y o rk and a sp o k e sp erso n fo r
th e A m e rica n H ea rt A s s o c ia tio n ’s
G o R ed fo r W o m en aw aren ess
ca m p a ig n . “ N ow , th e r e ’s no
m ista k in g th a t h e a rt d isea se is an
e q u a l-o p p o rtu n ity k ille r.” In fa c t,
it k ills 1 o u t o f e v e ry 2.6 A m erica n
w o m e n , m a k in g it th e N o. 1 cau se
o f d ea th fo r b o th sex es n atio n w id e.
Y e t even as p u b lic a w a re n e ss
o f fe m a le h e a rt d ise a se g ro w s,
re se a rc h e rs s till a re p a rsin g o u t
th e p a rtic u la rs . W o m en h is to r i-
c a lly h ave b e e n u n d e rre p re se n te d
in h e a rt s tu d ie s , p a r tly due to
c o n c e rn s th a t fe m a le h o rm o n e
flu c tu a tio n s w o u ld d is to r t th e
re su lts. B u t th e re in lie s th e rub:
W e ’re not ju s t sm a lle r v e rsio n s
o f m en . A w a v e o f n e w e r stu d ie s
re v e a ls th a t w o m e n ’s u n iq u e
ch e m ic a l m ak eu p co m b in e d w ith
a n a to m ica l d iffe re n c e s (su ch as
sm a lle r a r te r ie s and v e in s) a ffe c t
h o w h e a rt d ise a se d e v e lo p s in
u s, h o w a c c u ra te d ia g n o s tic te s ts
a re , an d h o w w e ll w e re sp o n d to
c e r ta in m e d ica tio n s.
So
B e tte r H om es a n d G a rd en s
to o k a clo se r lo o k a t th e la te st
re se a rch to see w h e re m en and
w o m en sp lit w h en it co m es to
m a tte rs o f th e h e a rt. T h e fin d in g s
m ig h t su rp rise y o u — an d m igh t
e v e n save y o u r life.
