Scientists from the University of Florida found why women’s heart attacks are often missed.
The research is published in American Heart Journal Plus and was conducted by Professor Jennifer Dungan et al.
When diagnostic tests for the heart were first created, scientists at the time did not fully consider that no two bodies are the same, especially between the sexes.
many of the current symptom profiles and lab tests for heart disease do not accurately reflect known differences in women’s heart disease. This oversight has led to increased gaps in health care equity.
Researchers believe that some of these differences in symptoms and outcomes may be due to genetic variation between men and women.
In the study, the team identified a specific gene she believes may be responsible, named RAP1GAP2.
RAP1GAP2 is a strong candidate for sex-linked effects on women’s heart disease outcomes.
Certain DNA markers in this gene are thought to manage the activity of platelets, colorless blood cells that help our blood clot. This also presents a heart attack risk.
An overactive gene could cause too many platelets to respond to the clot, which could block the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle and lead to a heart attack.
Since RAP1GAP2 was not linked to poor heart outcomes among men, the team believes this gene may work differently in women.
Her team included faculty from UF’s colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Public Health and Health Professions. Their findings were recently published in.
Even less is known about such differences among races and ethnicities. Black women and some Hispanic women are at an even greater risk of poor heart disease outcomes.
The team hopes to find the gene markers most accurately linked to heart disease for all women. And to do that, scientists need to consider genetic variation within women, too.
If you care about heart attacks, please read studies about six unusual signs that you may have heart disease, and weekly daytime nap may lower heart attack/stroke risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about common food that may strongly increase heart disease risk, and results showing after heart attack, mini-stroke and stroke, survivor has some advice.
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