The program was developed specifically to treat women and address various issues and unique risk factors that women may experience.
The program was developed specifically to treat women and address various issues and unique risk factors that women may experience.Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States, accounting for about one in five deaths. More than 60 million women in the United States live with heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In an effort to reduce heart disease and stroke rates, cardiologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heart Institute have relaunched the Women’s Heart Health Program.
The program was created specifically for the treatment of women. An experienced team of cardiology experts will evaluate and manage the health of women with all types of heart disease and address the individual problems and unique risk factors women may experience. Patients in the program have access to more specialist doctors than before.
“Women have different risk factors and may experience different cardiovascular symptoms than men,” said Gretchen Wells, MD, Ph.D., director of the UAB Medicine Women’s Heart Health Program. “We use state-of-the-art techniques as well as guideline-based diagnostic tools and therapies for women to ensure we provide our patients with the best care possible.”
The program focuses on the treatment of some of the conditions predominantly found in women, including coronary microvascular disease, heart failure, spontaneous coronary artery dissection and cardiovascular complications of pregnancy.
“We’re focusing on disease-specific areas for women,” Wells said. “Collaboration with multiple groups, including internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, interventional cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation, among others, will provide our patients with comprehensive care.”
Wells says that while the program offers sophisticated, state-of-the-art techniques, it also focuses on helping patients take preventative steps.
Microvascular program
Early studies conducted at UAB showed that approximately half of women with abnormal stress tests did not have coronary artery disease imaged by cardiac catheterization. Physicians at UAB can now evaluate for coronary microvascular disease.
Doctors at the Women’s Heart Health Program perform coronary function tests, which measure blood flow through the microvessels of the heart most commonly affected by this condition. UAB is one of only two hospitals in the state to perform testing for CMD.
“This device allows us to better serve female patients, as they make up the majority of patients affected by coronary microvascular dysfunction,” said Dr. Mustafa Ahmed, an interventional cardiologist at UAB. “Using these new tools, we can improve the way we measure this type of pathology, which helps us better identify patients with this condition.” This has improved our understanding of different treatments that specifically address the underlying pathology of this condition, whether it is vasospasm or microcirculatory problems.
Ahmed says that in the past, atypical manifestations of this disease sometimes could not be quantified and resulted in patients. Now that experts have better tests to identify these diseases, they can help diagnose many patients who have fallen through the cracks of conventional medicine.
Those interested in becoming a patient of the Women’s Heart Health Program should call 205-975-7123 to make an appointment.