EP376: Dr. Foo and Cardiovascular Risk For Women—Really Important Episode

Welcome to my podcast. I am Doctor Warrick Bishop, and I want to help you to live as well as possible for as long as possible. I’m a practising cardiologist, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and the creator of The Healthy Heart Network. I have over 20 years as a specialist cardiologist and a private practice of over 10,000 patients. Podcast Summary Introduction Dr. Warrick Bishop, a cardiologist, author, and CEO of the Healthy Heart Network, hosts this episode with Dr. Fiona Fu, an interventional cardiologist specializing in women's heart health at Sydney Cardiology and Macquarie University. The episode focuses on cardiovascular disease risk factors specific to women, addressing the underrecognized but significant threat that coronary heart disease poses to women's health in Australia. Key Takeaways: Coronary heart disease is the second leading cause of death in women in Australia and kills more women than all cancers combined, yet remains underrecognized by both patients and medical professionals. Several traditional cardiovascular risk factors—including smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity—pose a greater risk to women than to men. Pregnancy complications including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, and small-for-gestational-age babies are sex-specific risk factors that significantly increase women's future cardiovascular disease risk. Women who experience pregnancy complications should be monitored closely throughout their lives with regular GP check-ups, blood sugar and blood pressure monitoring, and maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits including exercise, healthy weight, and good diet. Autoimmune and inflammatory conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis affect women more frequently and substantially increase their risk of early heart attacks and myocardial infarction, sometimes before menopause. The severity of autoimmune disease correlates with cardiovascular risk, and traditional risk factors amplify the danger when combined with autoimmune conditions. Breast cancer treatments, particularly radiation therapy to the left chest, can cause delayed coronary artery disease, while chemotherapy may impair heart function. Early identification and proactive management of cardiovascular disease through regular screening and risk factor control can prevent deaths, as modern medicine can manage identified heart disease effectively.