Cardiovascular diseases in women: new insights
NEW DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN FOUND IN DETECTING HEART DISEASES
When you throw research results from men and women on one big pile, you will overlook relevant information to detect heart diseases earlier. This is shown in Aisha Gohar's PhD research.
She discovered new differences between men and women in artery calcification and heart failure. She also shows that there is often no attention yet for differences between men and women in heart research.
One in seven
Of the 360 research projects Gohar compiled, only fifteen percent looked at differences between men and women. That is less than one in seven. These were research projects into signal molecules in blood (biomarkers) for the risk of cardiovascular diseases. This low percentage is also at the detriment of men, because you are also slower to detect signal molecules that are especially relevant to men.
Signal molecules in blood
Gohar discovered that one certain biomarker (GDF-15) in women with calcification in their carotid arteries is connected to the contraction of serious heart diseases, but not in men. Gohar: "When you combine the results of men and women, you see no connection between the signal molecules and heart diseases. You'll then overlook a way to detect heart diseases in women in an early stage."
Detecting heart failure sooner
Gohar also detected differences between men and women in the diagnosis of a certain form of heart failure. In this condition, the heart muscle is too rigid and too thick, and cannot be properly filled with blood. Gohar: "I was working on a model that would help general practitioners make an earlier and better diagnosis. For women, it appears to be sufficient to primarily look at age and certain blood-pressure reducers. At the same time, it鈥檚 meaningful for men to also look at factors like being overweighted."
Dutch Heart Foundation: looking at differences between men and women is top priority
Aisha Gohar's research was financed by the project Queen of Hearts of the Dutch Heart Foundation. More distinction between men and women in heart research is one of the Dutch Heart Foundation's top priorities. Besides that, the Dutch Heart Foundation also finances research projects to make up for the arrears in knowledge of cardiovascular diseases in women.