Page 51 - Prevention - USA (April 2020)

There’s an epidemic
of misdiagnosis
in women. Find

out why so many
struggle to get

accurate and timely
’ answers from health

care practitioners—

plus, smart advice on
how to be your own
Whats
health advocate.

wrong

with
EVEN THOUGH NICOLE LAWSON,
a 53-year-old nurse in Los Angeles,
spent most of her 20s and 30s with
bouts of severe chest pain, her doctors
told her it was stress, acid reflux, or—
wait for it—all in her head. Finally, one
cardiologist specializing in women’s
heart health did a cardiovascular ultra- ME?
sound, which showed that Nicole had
coronary microvascular disease, a con-
dition much more common in women
than in men that involves blockages
BY MEGHAN RABBITT
in the smaller arteries around the
heart. It had gone undetected in the
standard testing done on her by
more than a dozen cardiologists.
Unfortunately, Nicole is not alone.
When it comes to heart disease, recent
studies show that women have a 50%
higher chance than men of receiving

AP R I L 2020 • PREVENTION.COM 49