There are some things that women would rather leave to the men if they have a choice. In medicine, one of those things has historically been vascular disease. Although women do experience problems with vascular disease, rates of the disease are much higher among men. We might have wanted to ignore this issue for a long time since it didn't appear to be a big problem for women but research suggests that it's time to start playing with the big boys.
Arterial vascular disease has been shown to not only be a problem for women but also to be a significant cause of death in older female populations. Part of the reason that it is fatal for women is because a lack of research into its effects on women has made treatment of the disease difficult. Medical researchers are now recommending that more studies be completed to determine the exact path of the disease for women.
The hope is that such additional research will open up more options for prevention of arterial vascular disease in women as well as for treatment of the disease. By acknowledging that this is indeed a problem for women today, the doors are opened for learning how the prevention and treatment for women will differ from that available to men. Specifically, research into how menopause, hormone replacement therapy and osteoporosis affect the disease will assist doctors in better treating their female patients.
