New Technique Evaluates Heart Disease in Women

While heart disease is the number one killer of women, few realize they are at risk.

A new technique evaluates the danger of high blood cholesterol for heart arteries. A high-speed heart CT scan, called electron beam computer tomography, measures changes in arterial calcium deposits that accompany high cholesterol. These deposits, which occur when cholesterol-containing plaques damage artery cells, are an early sign of coronary heart disease.

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine are using the scan in a study to determine whether cholesterol-lowering medications can help prevent heart disease by reducing calcium deposits in heart arteries.

"We hope that the treatment will cause the coronary plaques to shrink and disappear," said Dr. William Insull, a professor of medicine. "And as the plaque gets smaller, the opening of the artery will get larger and eventually may fully open again."

The technique, similar to a CAT scan, is non-invasive and takes about 10 minutes to complete.

The year-long study is open to post -menopausal women, 54 to 75 years of age, who have one or more of the following conditions: high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, current history of smoking and heart disease. Each woman will receive a free medical evaluation prior to the study, 12 months of treatment and study-related checkups. Participants also undergo a scan at the beginning and end of the study. After the first scan, women will be put on one of two cholesterol treatment drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

"We hope this study will give us a new way of detecting coronary disease earlier in women, and then be able to judge whether or not it is treatable, and whether or not it is having an effect," Dr. Insull said.

According to the American Heart Association, more than half a million women die every year from heart-related problems. Nearly twice as many women in the United States die of heart disease and stroke as from all forms of cancer, including breast cancer. Major risk factors include age, family health history, race, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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