In this episode, Sharon is joined by Dr. Natalie Bello, Director of Hypertension Research, Staff Physician and Associate Professor of Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

After learning that 80% of heart disease is preventable in medical school, Dr. Bello decided that focusing her career on helping people stay healthy, optimize their risk factors, and live long lives was an easy choice to make.

Hypertension, also known as “The Silent Killer,” is a leading global contributor to heart disease. A common myth is that heart disease disproportionately affects men when, in fact, it is the number one killer of both men and women. This misinformation has major consequences, namely that women experiencing chest pain wait 29% longer in the emergency room to be seen by a doctor than their male counterparts.

Dr. Bello shares that just because a woman doesn’t present their pain the same way as a man doesn’t mean that they aren’t experiencing the same pain. Being your biggest health advocate is the best way to regain your agency in heart health. Sometimes, for a woman, that may look like firmly declaring that your chest pain has brought you to the emergency room, stating your risk factors and that you must be treated for potentially having a heart attack.

Dr. Bello recommends the tests for anyone with chest pain or interested in improving their heart health, like an EKG, troponin, stress test, or angiogram. In order to assess personal risk factors, the Pooled Cohort Equations to Prevent Heart Failure (PCP-HF) or PREVENT are most used. Dr. Bello then discusses the mechanics of hereditarily passing down heart conditions between genders and the importance of increasing the number of studies on pregnancy’s impact on the body.

Episode Outline

(00:55) Meet Dr. Bello

(01:35) 80% of Heart Disease Is Preventable

(05:14) PSA: Women Wait Longer in the ER With Chest Pain

(12:46) Knowledge Is Power: Know Your Hereditary and Gender-Specific Risk Factors

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Connect with Dr. Bello

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Additional Resources

This podcast is produced by the women at The Wave Editing