2004-8-31
This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Health Report.
Heart disease is the leading killer of Americans. But it kills
more women than men. The American Heart Association says heart
disease and other cardiovascular disorders kill about five hundred
thousand women a year. That is more than the next seven causes of
death combined.
In general, women are less likely than men to survive heart
attacks. One of the possible explanations has been that women are
not treated as early or as aggressively for heart disease. Most
heart disease research traditionally involved men. But experts are
now discovering that heart disease may act differently in women. The
Washington Post recently reported on these findings.
Men often develop one main blockage in major arteries. Arteries
carry blood away from the heart. Women also develop blockages in
major arteries. But experts say women are more likely to have
smaller buildups of plaque along the length of the artery. These
smaller areas of fatty material can be easily missed. But expert say
they can be just as dangerous as one big blockage.
We talked to Doctor Noel Bairey Merz, a heart expert at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She says that unlike in
men, heart disease in women is often found in the smaller arteries
which are often overlooked.
Another difference may involve artery spasms. A spasm briefly
causes the artery to narrow. The inner lining, called the
endothelium, presses against itself. Doctors have known that women
are more likely to have such spasms. This problem can produce pain.
But experts say that in severe cases, it can also produce a heart
attack.
Heart experts say cardiovascular disease is often preventable.
High cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking and being overweight
can all cause different forms of heart disease. But researchers say
the lining of arteries may also weaken as levels of estrogen
decrease in older women. That hormone helps process nitric oxide,
which helps arteries work better.
Researchers are developing ultrasound and other imaging methods
to help discover heart disease earlier in women. Another issue is
treatment. The researchers say common drugs and other methods may
not work as well for many women as for men. Heart experts agree that
much more research is needed.
This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Cynthia
Kirk. This is Gwen Outen.