Newswise — WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease and the Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) in cooperation with Representatives Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) and Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, released today on Capitol Hill a groundbreaking report on heart disease research in women.
The 10 Q Report: Advancing Women's Heart Health Through Improved Research, Diagnosis and Treatment identifies the top ten unanswered questions related to the development, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women. Answering these questions through targeted research could cut the number of women who die prematurely of heart disease by 50 percent over the next decade. The report lays out a blueprint for a research agenda that can also help save American taxpayers millions of dollars in inappropriate and misdirected healthcare costs, as well as give doctors the knowledge they need to properly treat the disease.
"Heart disease claims the lives of more women than men each year, yet women make up only 25 percent of participants in heart-related research studies," said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., (R-Tenn.), a cardiothoracic surgeon and member of the Congressional Heart & Stroke Caucus. "We must refocus efforts and encourage improved research to ensure access to early detection, accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. I applaud WomenHeart and the Society for their commitment to refocusing heart disease research and raising awareness."
WomenHeart and SWHR surveyed experts in the cardiovascular field and asked them to identify the top ten unanswered research questions. They cover effectiveness of risk assessment and diagnostic tools, the differences in risk and in effectiveness of therapies for men and women, and the need for improved understanding of cardiovascular disease in women.
"All too often, women with heart problems are misdiagnosed, undertreated or receive the wrong cardiac treatment altogether," said Sharonne Hayes, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Women's Heart Clinic. "Heart disease, the leading cause of death among women, is not a 'man's disease.' This report will help doctors gain the knowledge they need to provide women optimal care for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease."
Sample questions in The 10 Q Report include:
1. Why do women receive significantly fewer referrals for advanced diagnostic testing and treatments for heart disease than men, and how can the referral rate for women be increased?2. Why are women age 50 and younger more likely to die following a heart attack than men of the same age?
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for American women of all ages and kills nearly 367,000 women every year. Eight million American women are currently living with heart disease.
"I heartily endorse WomenHeart for the great strides they are making towards educating women and eradicating this disease," said Rep. Julia Carson (D-Ind.), a heart disease survivor. "I have worked hard in Congress to ensure that women's health issues are not swept under the rug due to negligence, lack of understanding or apathy. One of the issues that we need to work harder on is raising the awareness level of the danger that heart disease poses to women. Our mothers, sisters and daughters are just as susceptible to this deadly disease as our fathers, brothers and sons. Women's need for education and sensitivity to the dangers of heart disease cannot be overemphasized; we must have a support structure to prevent the premature death and disability that it causes."
"The Society for Women's Health Research has always recognized that health conditions affect women disproportionately and differently than they affect men, especially heart disease," said Phyllis Greenberger, M.S.W., President and CEO of the Society for Women's Health Research. "We are pleased to join WomenHeart to bring these critical differences to the forefront and facilitate a dialogue that can ultimately improve women's health outcomes."
"We encourage policymakers and government health research agencies to use this report as a guide to create more effective treatment for women with heart disease," said Nancy Loving, co-founder and Executive Director of WomenHeart. "By answering these fundamental questions, we can advance research and decrease the number of women who die prematurely from this silent killer."
Find The 10 Q Report at http://www.womenshealthresearch.org or http://www.womenheart.org.
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