Osteoporosis is another condition rampant in women and needs a regular checkup. The disease may remain silent till a fracture occurs. In India, heart disease amongst women is also rising. Collectively more women die of heart attack than all types of cancers combined together. Most corporate hospitals today either give a coupon or issue an advance receipt, which can be utilized by the sister for a checkup.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death among women. Between the ages of 45 to 64, one in nine women develop symptoms of some form of cardiovascular disease. After age 65, the ratio climbs to one in three women, said Dr. Aggarwal. The best gift one can give to a middle-aged sister is to have her get a cardiac checkup done using a stress echocardiography.
Diagnosing coronary heart disease in the woman who presents with chest pain can be a difficult problem. Coronary angiography is considered the "gold standard" for diagnosis but is an invasive and costly test. The initial evaluation of patients presenting with chest pain and suspected heart disease often includes some form of stress testing. Ordinary stress treadmill test in the women maybe unreliable. The best answer is to get a stress exercise echocardiography done. The sensitivity and specificity of stress echocardiography is high.
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