Smoking, however, cancels that benefit. Such a review would not have been possible 30 years ago, when, doctors say, most heart studies only looked at men. Information gleaned from studies of men and heart disease can't automatically be applied to women. Women do not always respond accurately to certain tests. And, a woman's breast tissue can cloud results of X-rays that use radioactive agents to show what areas of the heart are full of blood and which are constricted.
New agents appear to give clearer signals, making such a test a more effective diagnostic tool.
Once heart disease strikes, many older women go into a tailspin, unable to reconcile their illness with their definition of themselves as the one who holds everything together for the family. I know of one woman in her 60s who had done everything in her house for years. The day she came home from the hospital, she cooked dinner for her family. Several studies show that older women are less likely than men to immediately seek help once symptoms appear. One study showed the women seek medical attention on average an hour later than men who suspect heart problems.