Greater awareness of women’s heart risk needed

Heart disease in women is not a top-level concern for most primary care physicians or cardiologists, according to a national survey.

Less than two in five (39 percent) of the surveyed primary care physicians rated heart disease as their top concern in female patients. It ranked third, behind overweight/obesity followed by breast health, even though cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death for women in the United States, reported at the American Heart Association scientific sessions.

“Cardiovascular disease is the leading health care threat for women, yet public awareness and physician action have stalled, particularly in younger women and among ethnic minorities. Women are less likely to receive evidence-based preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular disease,” declared cardiologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

She presented the results of a survey of 200 primary care physicians and 100 cardiologists, all in practice for three more years. The survey of a nationally representative sample was commissioned by the Women’s Heart Alliance.

The survey results demonstrate that awareness about heart disease in women is low among both primary care physicians and cardiologists. Among the key survey findings: • Less than a quarter (22 percent) of primary care physicians and 42 percent of cardiologists feel “extremely well prepared” to assess heart disease risk in female patients, while another 42 percent of primary care physicians and 40 percent of cardiologists consider themselves “very well prepared.”

• Less than half (44 percent) of primary care physician and 53 percent of cardiologists use the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk assessment calculator introduced in the latest cholesterol management guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

Moreover, 31 percent of primary care physicians and 15 percent of cardiologists said they’ve never used it. The tool is used to calculate a patient’s estimated 10-year and lifetime risks of ASCVD. Experts consider it a cornerstone of the current guidelines.

The survey was done in conjunction with a campaign by the Women’s Heart Alliance to increase physician awareness of women’s cardiovascular risk and to prepare to take action to improve it.