A Woman's Heart

Book excerpt: DID YOU KNOW... ...women are 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed following a heart attack? ...more than twice as many women die from coronary heart disease than from breast cancer in the UK? ...two-thirds of clinical research into heart disease focuses on men? Coronary heart disease remains the single biggest killer of women worldwide, yet it is still not seen as a woman's problem. Every day the female heart patient is measured by male standards, which leads to confusion, unclear diagnosis and often the wrong treatment. In fact, women are incomparable to men down to each body cell, which has consequences for both health and disease. When it comes to medical science, cardiology is the most prominent example in which gender matters. In A Woman's Heart, Professor Maas explores how the female heart works and provides practical advice for women, including: - The biology of the female heart - how it works and ages differently to a male's - The effects of female-specific issues, such as menopause - Heart attacks in women - Lifestyle tips to prevent heart disease This vital book is the result of decades of international research. It exposes the gender bias in cardiology and paves the way for better heart health for women everywhere.