ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Thursday, November 21, 1996            TAG: 9611210042
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL   PAGE: A-4  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON

IN WOMEN'S HEARTS, DOCTORS FALL SHORT

Many family doctors don't know that women and men show different symptoms of heart disease, the leading cause of death among women, according to a survey released Wednesday.

While men often experience crushing chest pain, women experience chest tightness that is often mistaken for indigestion, as well as breathlessness, fatigue and nausea, for example.

Each year, 479,000 American women and 447,000 men die from cardiovascular disease.

Despite these statistics, a poll conducted for Washington Hospital Center showed that 64 percent of family doctors incorrectly believe the symptoms of heart disease are the same in women and men.

Similarly, 68 percent of family doctors said there was no difference in the diagnostic tests to examine men and women.

Dr. Joy Drass, vice president for professional services at Washington Hospital Center, said that while a treadmill stress test is usually the most effective diagnostic tool for men, it should be combined with an echocardiogram or nuclear imaging to diagnose women.

Drass said she was distressed that only 50 percent of family doctors correctly named heart disease as the greatest health risk facing women over 50.

Eighteen percent listed breast cancer as the greatest risk and 10 percent cited osteoporosis, according to the national survey of 256 primary care physicians, including internists, general or family practitioners, conducted by The Gallup Organization.

- Hearst Newspapers

LENGTH: Short :   39 lines