"SEX IS BAD FOR YOUR HEART"

"SEX IS BAD FOR YOUR HEART"

That was the headline for an article in an Iowa newspaper following my keynote presentation for a heart conference. I was invited to speak about the impact of sex/gender on health including heart disease.

At that time, I was serving as the Sr. Medical Adivsor for the HHS Office on Women's Health, and I knew that its press office would not be thrilled with this headline. Fortunately, the article highlighted what I shared with the audience. So, if there was any silver lining, perhaps people would read the article and learn something.

I discussed how bias in research and treatment protocols have negatively impacted the health of women. Words such as 'atypical' or 'not tradtional' to describe the symptoms in women imply that men's hearts are the gold standard. Many women have been misdiagnosed and not given the gold standard of care.

It's disappointing that this new article still uses these antiquated phrases. Though it describes how women's hearts and vessels differ from men and why beta blockers may be deleterious for women, it perpetuates this false belief that women's hearts are not the norm.

Many years ago, 8/10 drugs were pulled from the market because they were more toxic in women. For example, a common antihistamine was shown to cause fatal arrhythmias. Bias and ignorance can be lethal.

It's time to see the world through a sex/gender lens. Everyone benefits.

iGIANT (impact of Gender/Sex on Innovation and Novel Technologies), the only nonprofit accelerator for gendered innovation and precision design was created for this purpose. Join us! (www.igiant.org)

https://lnkd.in/epQj5zSd

Dr. Saralyn Mark