Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the single leading cause of death in
American women, surpassing the combined mortality from cancer, COPD,
Alzheimer’s disease and pneumonia. This is a category that encompasses
coronary heart disease (CHD), accounting for the greatest number of
fatalities, along with stroke, congestive heart failure, hypertension,
rheumatic heart disease, congenital defects and peripheral vascular disease.
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| Historically, CVD has been misperceived as a condition that primarily
affects men, underestimating the immense toll it has taken on women
worldwide. The lack of awareness not only permeates the general community,
but exists among medical providers as well. A 1995 Gallup poll revealed that
1 in 3 primary care physicians were not aware that heart disease was the
number one cause of death in women4. Consequently, physicians
often make different decisions for women’s cardiovascular health than for
men. This was aptly pointed out in a 1999 NEJM study by Schulman et al,
revealing that physicians were less likely to recommend cardiac
catheterization for women than for men when they were being evaluated for
similar symptoms of chest pain3. |