Cardiovascular care for women: the 10-Q Report and beyond.

According to The National Coalition for Women's Health Research's 10Q Report: Advancing women's heart health through improved research, diagnosis, and treatment published in June 2011, cardiovascular disease (CVD), a term used to describe diseases of the heart or blood vessels, is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, causing more than 420,000 deaths among women annually. Experts estimate that one in two women will die of heart disease or stroke compared with one in 25 women who will die of breast cancer. Despite the fact that more women than men die each year of heart disease and that there are known sex differences in symptoms and treatment, medical treatment of women has not changed substantially nor has it resulted in appropriate research into the distinct sex differences that exist in CVD. Time is of the essence. CVD death rates are increasing for women under age 55, despite an overall decrease in death rates from CVD in recent years. This multimedia webcast will address the challenges of clinical practice with regard to the role of female gender in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease and to help answer questions about the 10 topics of concern in the 10Q Report. A panel of experts presents emerging evidence-based data and exercise clinical decision making by incorporating clinical cases and panel discussions.