BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN
University Health looks to ll health care gap with rst women’s heart center in South Texas
University Health’s Women’s Heart Center—the rst of its kind in South Texas—is lling a gap in the San Antonio-area health care community, Dr. Ildiko Agoston, a cardiologist at University Health said. Heart disease is the number one cause of death for women in the United States, with heart attacks killing more women than other diseases, such as breast cancer. That is why Agoston, founded the Women’s Comprehensive Health Institute at the Medical Arts and Research Center and later became the inaugural medical director of University Health Women’s Heart Center. “More than 15 years ago, I knew that women needed special attention to their hearts,” Agoston said. The women’s heart center sees adult women aged 18 and older for various heart diseases such as spontaneous coronary artery dissection and
stress cardiomyopathy. Agoston said the center also sees women who are going through chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer or ovarian cancer. Why it matters Agoston said women can present late during a heart attack. Instead of experiencing chest pain, heart attacks in women are usually accompanied by shortness of breath, fatigue or indigestion. There are also special heart attack risk factors associated with being a woman. For example, pregnancy increases the risk for preeclampsia or gestational diabetes, she said. Agoston also said women have smaller hearts and arteries, which means they are less likely to receive a stent due to their “coronary anatomy.” She encourages women to schedule a baseline evaluation with their primary care physician to check their cholesterol and sugar levels.
Dr. Ildiko Agoston examines patient Pat Holmes during a recent visit. University Health Women’s Heart Center
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