Several medical organizations have joined in calling on clinicians to step up efforts to reduce women's risk of heart disease.
The organizations point to a substantial gap between what's known to prevent heart disease in women and the treatment they receive. "We are missing many opportunities to reduce the risk of heart disease in women," said Lori Mosca, MD, PhD, director of preventive cardiology research and education at University of Michigan Medical School and chair of a consensus panel on the subject.
New scientific findings are reflected in several of the panel's recommendations. Even though the National Cholesterol Education Program has suggested that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) be the initial drug considered to lower high cholesterol in postmenopausal women when lifestyle changes aren't effective, the panel has recommended that a statin drug be considered first.
"Statin drugs have been scientifically proven to lower high blood levels of cholesterol, . . . [Full Text of this Article]
