Women and cardiovascular disease

Women cardiovascular disease

New book focuses on issues related to caring for women with cardiovascular disease

Every year more women in the United States die from cardiovascular disease than from any other disease or condition, which is one of the reasons a University of Florida Health cardiologist has penned a new book geared toward improving care for women with this condition.

Gladys Velarde, M.D., an associate professor of cardiology at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville, is the co-author and editor of “Management of Cardiovascular Disease in Women” — a comprehensive guide and resource for health care providers. Solely devoted to covering heart disease in women, the book is the first of its kind in the United States.

Having studied cardiovascular disease her entire professional life, Velarde believes that not enough attention has been given to its particular impact on women.

The text covers crucial aspects of women’s heart health, such as the roles emotional stress, pregnancy and menopause play in the condition. The book is considered a “concise guide” for cardiovascular care in women, Velarde said. — Jesef Williams