logofg

ACTUALITE

Why does medicine treat women like men?

This is the question posed by Dr. Alyson McGregor, Division Director for the first program in Sex and Gender Emergency Medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Rhode Island, in her recently-published book Sex Matters.

placeholder image

For Dr. McGregor, the male-centric medical model is so widespread in our health systems and our procedures that we don’t even realize it exists. She offers an informative and prescriptive guide for women to explore the specificities of their bodies and the preventive actions they can take to reduce their risks. Plus, she reminds us that sex must be integrated as a biological variable in research programs. When it comes to cardiovascular disease in our patients, we see evidence on a daily basis that women’s symptoms don’t always correspond with men’s. For example, in men, plaque tends to accumulate in a few places, causing blood vessels to rupture. For women, plaque is more likely build up uniformly around the inside of the vessel, making them more rigid and less flexible over time. Rather than rupturing, the vessels erode. This requires different methods of diagnosis and treatment.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/24/why-does-medicine-treat-women-like-men

 

SEE ALSO

placeholder

How White Coat Hypertension Impacts Pregnancy

A recent study published in the U.S. journal Hypertension on May 28, 2020, the International Day of Action for Women’s Health, evaluated the effects of white coat hypertension on mothers and babies during pregnancy. White coat hypertension is defined as elevated blood pressure (BP) when measured by [...]

READ MORE

placeholder

How to Take Care of your Heart Before, During and After Pregnancy

Remember that if a woman with a cardiac disease doesn’t receive appropriate care during pregnancy, the risk of complications for her baby is 15 times higher and her risk of death is 100 times higher. It is believed that cardiovascular adaptation during pregnancy is similar to high level endurance [...]

READ MORE

placeholder

How Domestic Violence Increases Cardiovascular Risks

In addition to psychological and emotional suffering, stress, anxiety, depression and suicide, domestic violence has many other health repercussions that aren’t as well known. This trauma contributes to cardiovascular disease when survivors develop obesity, high blood pressure, chronic inflammation [...]

READ MORE

 Your gift improves
prevention for women at key moments in their lives