ByGeorge!

May 2005

Treating Medical Research Inequality

GW Heart, Mobile Mammography Programs Save Women’s Lives

By Jamie L. Freedman

Cardiovascular disease is the number-one killer of women in the United States, striking down more women than breast and lung cancer combined. Taking that frightening statistic to heart, GW Hospital developed The Women’s Heart Program, Washington’s only full-service center devoted solely to screening and treating women for heart disease.

“There’s a tremendous gap between the two genders when it comes to heart care,” says Susan K. Bennett, director of the GW’s Women’s Heart Program and president of the Greater Washington Region Board of the American Heart Association. “Although more American women than men have died of cardiovascular disease since 1984, women tend to have less aggressive cardiac care than men because they aren’t seen as potentially having heart problems. It’s a huge missed opportunity, since 83 percent of cardiovascular disease would be eliminated if people were screened regularly for heart disease and risk factors were fully addressed.”

Since its establishment in June 2003, GW’s Women’s Heart Program has delivered its lifesaving message to more than 2,000 Washington women through community outreach efforts aimed at motivating women to take greater control of their cardiovascular health. “It’s important to offer a cardiology program that is uniquely tailored to women because women don’t experience heart disease the same way that men do,” says Bennett. Women tend to get heart disease some 10 years later than men and often have lesser-known heart attack symptoms, such as nausea, fatigue, and dizziness, rather than the traditional chest pain, shortness of breath, and arm pain.

In the past two years, some 500 women have signed on to receive comprehensive screenings through the program, leading, when necessary, to complete cardiac care by a cardiologist. The process begins with an extensive questionnaire assessing risk factors for heart disease, such as lifestyle and family health history, followed by a blood pressure check and complete blood work to determine cholesterol levels. “We then give patients an overall heart health grade and discuss what they can do to improve their risk profile,” says Bennett. When results indicate that patients are at low risk for heart disease, they are simply given tips on exercise and diet to keep them on the path of continued good health. When results point to a moderate or high risk of heart disease, patients receive a detailed analysis of their risk factors, as well as recommendations for lifestyle changes and medical issues that need to be addressed.

“As a cardiologist, I’d be thrilled if I never had to see another woman heart attack patient,” says Bennett. “We’re fond of saying that heart disease is out there in the garage with the guys, and we want to make sure that women know it can affect them in the kitchen. We give women the educational and motivational tools to take greater control of their health in an environment where they feel comfortable and empowered to be partners in their health care.”

One recent beneficiary of the program is 52-year old Washington resident Laverne Richardson. “My husband has heart disease and I’ve always had borderline high cholesterol, so I decided to go ahead and take advantage of the Women’s Heart Program to see where I stood,” she says, noting that as an African American woman, she knew that she was at high risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Like many at-risk patients, Richardson was referred to the heart program’s on-staff exercise physiologist and nutritionist, who planned an individualized diet and exercise regimen for her. She also began taking medication to reduce her risk factors. “I’m very glad that I went, because within a month of my initial visit, my LDL went down from 149 to 71, my triglycerides decreased from 217 to 78, my HDL increased from 55 to 62, which is good, and my cholesterol decreased from 248 to 149,” she says. “Those numbers are really fantastic as far as I’m concerned. They really tell the story!”

GW is also making a huge difference in the lives of Washington women through its Mobile Mammography Program, established in 1996 with a grant from the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation. Coordinated by GW Medical Faculty Associates and GW Hospital, the GW Mammovan screens some 4,000 women for breast cancer each year, many in underserved neighborhoods where people have poor access to health care. The only one of its kind in the region, the state-of-the art mobile mammography unit — which operates from a large bus — travels through Washington four days a week offering one-stop screening and information about the importance of early detection of breast cancer. All mammograms are evaluated utilizing the latest technology, including computer-aided detection — which improves breast cancer detection by 23 percent — and interpreted by expert radiologists dedicated to breast imaging.

“We’re committed to providing optimal breast care to all the women of Washington, regardless of their ability to pay,” says Rachel Brem, professor of radiology and director of breast imaging and intervention at GW, who’s directed the popular community outreach program for the past five years. “It’s recently been shown that Washington’s underserved community has one of the worst mammography screening rates in the country.” Moreover, the region also has one of the highest breast cancer mortality rates in the nation. It is estimated that 30 to 40 percent of breast cancer deaths can be avoided if the cancers are detected early enough. “There is, therefore, a tremendous need to reach area women with both information and resources in order to make early detection of breast cancer readily available to every woman in Washington.”

Brem says that she and her staff are eagerly awaiting the delivery this fall of a new GW Mammovan containing full field digital mammography equipment — the newest, most sophisticated technology in mammography. “It’s all part of our commitment to optimizing patient care,” says Brem. “The GW Mammovan is a critical service to the women of Washington and we’re very excited to take it to the next level.”


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