Dr. Grines delivers Keynote Address at the Women's Heart Health Summit in New York City.
Last month's CRF Women's Heart Health Summit: In Pursuit of Excellence: Improving Cardiovascular Outcomes in Women brought together top national experts in research, academia, and health policy to examine the importance of gender in cardiovascular disease research. The program, led by Summit Chair Roxana Mehran, MD, took place on December 9, 2011, at the Princeton Club in New York City.
The Summit featured a keynote address on the current state of heart disease in women by Cindy L. Grines, MD, Vice President of Academic and Clinical Affairs of the Heart and Vascular Institute at the Detroit Medical Center. The panel also discussed the lack of awareness surrounding women's heart health and the general belief among the public that other diseases, such as breast cancer, pose a greater threat to women's health. Participants noted that the stereotype of older men having high rates of heart disease has caused many women to delay treatment because they do not recognize their symptoms.
Summit faculty encouraged health care providers and cardiologists to work closer with primary care and Ob/Gyn physicians to educate their patients on the risk factors and signs of heart disease. Prominently displayed posters and reading material in physician offices may lead more women to consider screening for heart disease or prompt them to receive treatment when needed.
Clinicians and summit participants also discussed some of the reasons why women don't receive cardiovascular procedures for which they are clinically indicated and the underrepresentation of women in clinical trials. Some of the suggested theories as to why women are not receiving indicated treatments include male-focused device design, lack of time to seek care, and skepticism of treatment necessity. Panel members also discussed potential new ways to encourage women to participate in clinical trials, such as providing child care and conducting more remote check-ins with patients.
