Her Heart Needs Extra Care

Diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women still lags behind than that in men.

Does sex matter? The National Institute of Medicine (US) asked that question about human health. The answer, of course, is yes. Nowhere are the differences between men and women more apparent than in matters of the heart.

Women’s hearts are built from the same general blueprint as men’s and pump blood along the same circuit. But small variations in anatomy and physiology interacting with differences in behaviour and culture mean that heart disease in women isn’t always diagnosed or treated as promptly or thoroughly as it is in men. New findings reinforce the disparities.

MYSTERY CHEST PAIN

Women are more likely than men to be hospitalized for chest pain that can’t be traced to a particular cause.

EMERGENCY DELAYS