Maggie McKay (Host): When it comes to women's heart health, there's a lot to know. And now there's a new women's heart clinic in Greater Peoria that we're going to learn more about today with cardiologist and advanced cardiac imaging specialist, Dr. Ram Yashri, Tumala. Welcome to Let's Talk with Carl Health, a podcast featuring Carl doctors, partners, and other experts bringing you topics important to your health and wellness. Thank you so much for being here today, Dr. Tumala.

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: Thank you.

Maggie McKay (Host): So just to start, why do we need a heart clinic just for women?

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: We all know that heart disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for women in the United States and worldwide. And overall, there's one in three women who died from heart disease, and 45 percent of women over age 20 years have some form of cardiovascular disease. While women share the same typical risk factors, Women have additional factors for heart disease that are important to consider when evaluating the risk.

And we know that women sometimes have different indicators of heart disease and their symptoms and risks are frequently underestimated. So here we are in Carl Health Clinic in Greater Peoria to address the unique cardiac needs of women throughout their lifetime and provide women with tools and treatments to either reduce their chances of developing a heart disease.

or control the progression of pre existing conditions.

Maggie McKay (Host): One in three is pretty shocking. what are some of the services offered and treated conditions at the women's cardiology clinic?

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: So the most common heart conditions in women are coronary artery disease or heart attacks, heart failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, abnormal heartbeats, that is arrhythmias, vascular disease, like microvascular disease or SCAD, which is sudden coronary artery dissection. from stress, stress induced cardiomyopathy, and pregnancy related heart conditions like postpartum cardiomyopathy or gestational diabetes or preeclampsia that puts pregnant women at a higher risk of developing cardiac conditions future.

Maggie McKay (Host): And so what are some of the services offered?

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: So we actually see these patients in the clinic, get their history, and and know what their risk factors are and treat them appropriately. And to treat them, we use some diagnostic tools. The most common diagnostic tool we use is a CT coronary angiogram, or a calcium scan, to know more about their coronary arteries and their future risk of cardiac events.

A carotid intima thickness, which is an ultrasound of the carotid arteries. We use comprehensive tools like CT scan or cardiac MRI to know more about their heart muscle, the arteries supplying the muscle of the heart. We use basic studies like echocardiography and nuclear stress testing to know their ischemia status.

Maggie McKay (Host): Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in the U. S., as you mentioned, Dr. Tamala, killing more women than all forms of cancer combined. What are the risk factors for heart disease in women?

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: The most traditional risk factors that are common in men and women are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, family history of cardiac disease, smoking, physical inactivity, and poor sleep. Some female related risk factors are history of preeclampsia or elevated blood pressure during pregnancy, gestational diabetes, and diabetes.

Premature menopause before age of 40, Petty menopause, Polycystic ovarian syndrome, Autoimmune conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Some psychosocial factors like depression, anxiety, PTSD, sex abuse, and stress.

Maggie McKay (Host): So do women experience different symptoms than men? It sounds like it.

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: Women typically experience the same symptoms as men. when it comes to heart attacks like chest pain, trouble breathing, dizziness, but they do also experience uncommon symptoms like nausea, vomiting, indigestion, back pain, and that should still be considered as a symptom for heart attack.

Maggie McKay (Host): So what can women do to reduce their risk of heart disease?

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: The most common things that we can do is to first control the risk factors that are responsible for the heart condition, treating their high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking cessation, moderate alcohol intake. Trying to work on their physical inactivity and trying to incorporate healthy lifestyle, healthy eating.

These are the most common things that the patients can do. and here we are in Women Heart Clinic where we are actually like a bridge between their primary care physician me as a specialist in trying to treat these traditional risk factors and women specific risk factors, guide them towards a healthier, life and to prevent these cardiac conditions in future.

Maggie McKay (Host): And how is the women's cardiology clinic different? What sets it apart

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: Men and women can increase their likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease throughout their life through the traditional risk factors, but there are additional risk factors exclusive to women that can further contribute to the development of heart disease. So in Women's Heart Clinic, we are identifying these female related risk factors early on, which is essential to provide accurate risk assessment and treatment, and And that is how Women Heart Clinic is different in finding the women and treating them early on to prevent their future risk.

Maggie McKay (Host): and what are some heart related issues during pregnancy? I know you touched on it a little bit, but, can you just talk about that a little bit?

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: Yes. So pregnant women, their body and their physiology is completely different than a non pregnant women. The most common, risk factors that women have during pregnancy is preeclampsia or elevated blood pressure, gestational diabetes, birth or pregnancy loss. or intrauterine growth retardation, and these risk factors during their pregnancy puts the patient at a higher risk for cardiac events in future after they deliver.

So it's very imminent for these patients to follow up with a cardiologist throughout their pregnancy and after to see if we can mitigate their risk and prevent that cardiac event from happening. And post pregnancy also there are certain cardiac conditions that happen to women and the most common is a peripartum cardiomyopathy where the pumping function of the heart is affected and is weak and if diagnosed early on we can prevent the complications from it like heart failure or arrhythmias or breathing difficulties using the diagnostic tools and treating them appropriately.

to try to decrease that risk and prevent them for future complications.

Maggie McKay (Host): That's gotta be so stressful to be pregnant and have that heart health issue on top of it. I mean, thank goodness your clinic is there for them. Seriously. what about premature menopause? Speaking of stressful,

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: That's the most common thing we're dealing with these days, right? So, that's one of the recent guidelines from ACC and AHA have identified that pre menopause or post menopause and early onset of menopause earlier than age 40 is a female related risk factor for cardiac disease. And, you know, most of the women are actually facing that.

these days. and the other common is anxiety, stress, and PTSD. that's most of us. So in WomenHeartClinic, we are here not just to talk about that, but to understand these risk factors and trying to guide them and educate them towards a healthy lifestyle and giving them some tools and options to help them.

Go through them and decrease that cardiac event risk that they have.

Maggie McKay (Host): Right. It sounds like prevention is key here because of all the things we've talked about today, it sounds like almost every woman would fit into at least one of those categories at some point in her life. So I imagine you talk a lot about prevention at the clinic.

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: That's the main goal. Prevention is better than cure.

Maggie McKay (Host): Dr. Tamala, is there anything else in closing that you'd like to add that we didn't cover?

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: I just want to say that, this is a unique service line that we are starting in Greater Peoria, and the background that I have as an advanced cardiac imaging specialist, we use comprehensive diagnostic tools in identifying the risk of women and and helping them and treating the conditions that they have.

This doesn't mean that pre existing conditions are not taken care of. We actually treat the pre existing conditions and help prevent another event. in those women. So what we are doing here in Greater Peoria is trying to identify these women who are at higher risk for cardiac conditions or who have underlying cardiac conditions to have them referred to Women Heart Clinic and see them.

And we are trying to have a bigger team here in providing them education about healthy lifestyle and not just.

Maggie McKay (Host): Well, it's gotta be so reassuring to the women in your area to know that they have a place they can go for all these issues,

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: Yes, that's the goal. Reach out to the community.

Maggie McKay (Host): Well, thank you so much for sharing your expertise about women's heart health. It's so crucial. And like you said, one in three women are affected. So thank you again for your time.

Dr Ramyashree Tummala: Thank you.

Maggie McKay (Host): Again, that's Dr. Ramyashree Tumala. And if you'd like to find out more, please visit carle. org. That's C A R L E dot org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. Thank you for listening. I'm Maggie McKay.

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