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Adventist Heart Institute Provides Gender-Specific
Cardiac Care With New Women’s Heart Center
Monica Divakaruni, MD
Interventional
Cardiologist
To learn more about the
treatment of women’s heart
disease, call 888.529.9018.
Differences between women and men have been identified through the entire spectrum of cardiovascular disease,
from risk factors and symptoms to diagnosis and treatment. Fortunately, we’ve assembled a comprehensive,
gender-specific team of cardiac care specialists. Led by Monica Divakaruni, MD, our team focuses on the entire
spectrum of women’s cardiac care, including:
Diagnosis and Treatment
Are Different for Women
Women have smaller coronary arteries than men do.
This makes angiography, angioplasty, and coronary bypass
surgery more difficult to do, thereby reducing a woman’s
chance of receiving a proper diagnosis and having a good
outcome. Women tend to have more complications
following surgery. And they’re twice as likely to continue
having symptoms several years after coronary angioplasty.
Women’s responses to standard exercise stress tests are
also different from men, so it’s more difficult to interpret
the results.
Other Differences in Women and Heart Disease
Diabetes.
Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease in
women more than it does in men, perhaps because women
with diabetes more often have added risk factors, such as
obesity, hypertension and high cholesterol.
Metabolic syndrome.
This is a group of health risks –
large waist size, elevated blood pressure, glucose
intolerance, low HDL cholesterol, and high triglycerides –
that increases your chance of developing heart disease,
stroke and diabetes. According to research, for women,
metabolic syndrome is the most important risk factor for
having a heart attack at an unusually early age.
Smoking.
Women who smoke are twice as likely to
have a heart attack as male smokers.
Risk Assessment
Our team starts with a thorough evaluation
of your risk for cardiovascular disease. This
becomes the basis for your treatment plan
and may include additional tests, such as
labs or imaging studies.
Diagnostic Evaluation
Women with symptoms of cardiovascular
disease may require further diagnostic
testing, ranging from non-invasive stress
testing to a cardiac catheterization. This may
also involve testing for other forms of heart
disease including microvascular disease
(disease of the small vessels of the heart) or
endothelial dysfunction (abnormalities of the
cell layer in the arteries).
Managing Risks
Managing risk factors is of
utmost importance to prevent the
progression of heart disease or
cardiovascular events. Our team
of experts will guide you in making
healthy lifestyle changes and
becoming an active participant in
your own cardiovascular health.
Treatment of
Cardiovascular Disease
We have technology as well as
skilled clinicians who are specially
trained in diagnosing and treating
women’s heart disease.
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How Can You Make Sure
You Are Receiving the Best Care?
Fortunately, these problems are diminishing thanks to
advances in technology and better understanding of heart
disease in women. The best advice is to seek out doctors
who are specifically trained on gender differences. If you feel
strongly that something is wrong, but your doctor cannot find
a problem, get a second opinion.
