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Women's health update
New technology is waging war against the top killers. Here’s a look at how.
by Tori RichardsPublished: September 01, 2010
As women lead busy lives with careers, family and household chores, a silent killer is ready to strike. Although they tend to make sure their family members receive adequate health care, medical experts say women often neglect themselves – with sometimes deadly consequences.
It’s not breast cancer or even ovarian cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the leading health risk among women is heart disease, with 26 percent of all deaths attributed to it. Cancer ranks second at 22 percent, followed by stroke at 7 percent.
But there is hope. Several new technologies are waging war with these diseases, and although there aren’t cures, strides are being made in treatment and prevention.
• HEART TROUBLE
More women than men die of cardiovascular disease every year,” says Dr. Shaista Malik, director of UC Irvine’s Preventive Cardiology Program. “One of the reasons is the disparity between men and women in the diagnosis, treatment and outcome. Women don’t get diagnosed in time or treated as aggressively.”
For instance, women don’t have the symptoms of crushing chest pain but instead will likely experience fatigue or shortness of breath. These symptoms come about a decade later than in men and are often brushed off as a woman simply feeling overworked or stressed.
Malik has been awarded a government grant to do research into whether cardiac CAT scans, which give patients photos of their hearts, will change poor habits of diet and exercise.
Her colleague Jin Kyung Kim is also doing tests – with estrogen, to see whether the hormone acts like a barrier to heart attacks, which may explain why women get the disease usually after menopause. In a typical heart attack, cells die and are not replaced. Estrogen can prevent the death of cells that may be in the process of dying, but it cannot repair what has already been killed. She plans on testing this theory on mice.
Dr. Warren Johnston, medical director of the Women’s Heart Center at St. Joseph Hospital, says his hospital was one of the first in the nation to specifically identify heart issues with women and set up a clinic to help diagnose and combat the disease. By educating the public on various risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and abnormal cholesterol levels, he hopes to stave off the problem.
“It’s the No. 1 killer of women since 1910,” Johnston says. “Women are much less likely to have the appropriate diagnostic test or state-of-the-art treatments like angioplasty or heart bypass surgery. Often they are misdiagnosed.”
St. Joseph offers a new, less-invasive angiogram that involves an IV in the arm rather than puncturing an artery in the groin. It can also image the coronary artery, which will show signs of calcium buildup, confirming the presence of coronary artery disease.
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As women lead busy lives with careers, family and household chores, a silent killer is ready to strike. Although they tend to make sure their family members receive adequate health care, medical experts say women often neglect themselves – with sometimes deadly consequences. It’s not breast cancer or even ovarian cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the leading health risk among women is heart disease, with 26 percent of all deaths attributed to it. Cancer ranks second at 22 percent, followed by stroke at 7 percent. But there is hope. Several new technologies are waging war with these diseases, and although there aren’t cures, strides are being made in treatment and prevention. • HEART TROUBLEMore women than men die of cardiovascular disease every year,” says Dr. Shaista Malik, director of UC Irvine’s Preventive Cardiology Program. “One of the reasons is the disparity between men and women in the diagnosis, treatment and outcome. Women don’t get diagnosed in time or treated as aggressively.” For instance, women don’t have the symptoms of crushing chest pain but instead will likely experience fatigue or shortness of breath. These symptoms come about a decade later than in men and are often brushed off as a woman simply feeling overworked or stressed. Malik has been awarded a government grant to do research into whether cardiac CAT scans, which give patients photos of their hearts, will change poor habits of diet and exercise. Her colleague Jin Kyung Kim is also doing tests – with estrogen, to see whether the hormone acts like a barrier to heart attacks, which may explain why women get the disease usually after menopause. In a typical heart attack, cells die and are not replaced. Estrogen can prevent the death of cells that may be in the process of dying, but it cannot repair what has already been killed. She plans on testing this theory on mice. Dr. Warren Johnston, medical director of the Women’s Heart Center at St. Joseph Hospital, says his hospital was one of the first in the nation to specifically identify heart issues with women and set up a clinic to help diagnose and combat the disease. By educating the public on various risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and abnormal cholesterol levels, he hopes to stave off the problem. “It’s the No. 1 killer of women since 1910,” Johnston says. “Women are much less likely to have the appropriate diagnostic test or state-of-the-art treatments like angioplasty or heart bypass surgery. Often they are misdiagnosed.” St. Joseph offers a new, less-invasive angiogram that involves an IV in the arm rather than puncturing an artery in the groin. It can also image the coronary artery, which will show signs of calcium buildup, confirming the presence of coronary artery disease. Get headlines in your hand at OCMETRO.com/apps |
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