Treating the life-critical differences
The Women’s Heart Center brings research-driven cardiac care to 1,700 women each year. That care begins with a fundamental insight: heart disease in women is often very different from heart disease in men.
A typical scenario for men is the “classic” heart attack—chest pain associated with exertion. Women are more likely to experience chest pressure, indigestion, shortness of breath, and fatigue. In women ages 45 to 65, heart disease is often caused by reduced blood flow in the heart’s small arteries—a condition called microvascular coronary dysfunction. For men, the cause is more commonly blockage of a major coronary artery.
The best diagnostic tools
Inspired by these distinctions and supported by committed donors, the Women’s Heart Center is creating new treatment strategies. We start with comprehensive cardiac risk assessments. Many physicians still rely on conventional risk scores which categorize the majority of women as low risk. We use the Reynolds risk score. It factors in such predictors of female heart disease as high blood levels of C-reactive protein.
Commitment to innovation
Cedars-Sinai is one of the few medical centers worldwide to employ an Adenosine Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) stress test in diagnosing heart disease. This tool is superior to an angiogram (the standard for male diagnosis) in revealing microvascular coronary dysfunction. This kind of innovation is step one in our dedication to the women we treat.