Doctors who
want to identify women at risk of heart disease should test
her fitness, say researchers.
Scientists
from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore found treadmill tests
could help to identify vulnerable women.
They proved to be more reliable than more sophisticated electrical
analysis of the heart.
Nearly 3,000 women took part in the study published in the Journal
of the American Medical Association.
The researchers focused on two measurements of fitness: how
long a woman could exercise on a treadmill, and how long it
took her heart to return to normal once she had stopped.
"Although
we have known for some time that an inactive life increases
the risk of coronary heart disease, we had not realised the
full extent of this for women" --- Professor Sir Charles
George
Women who performed below average on both measures were 3.5
times more likely to die of heart disease than women who were
above average.
Big difference
However, among women who had been thought to be a low risk,
those who scored below average were nearly 13 times more likely
to die of heart disease than those who performed better on the
tests.
The worse the performance in the exercise tests, the greater
the risk proved to be.
In contrast, electrical measurement of decreased blood flow
- used to diagnose hidden heart disease in men - did not accurately
identify women with hidden heart disease.
Researcher Dr Roger Blumenthal said: "There is great public
health interest in cost-effective and readily available tests
that can predict cardiovascular risk in asymptomatic women,
since nearly two-thirds of women who die suddenly have no previous
symptoms."
The researchers stress that their study provides further evidence
that regular exercise is an effective way to reduce the risk
of heart disease.
Important message
Professor Sir Charles George, medical director of the British
Heart Foundation, said the study had important messages for
women.
"Although we have known for some time that an inactive life
increases the risk of coronary heart disease, we had not realised
the full extent of this for women.
"Regular exercise reduces the risk of coronary heart disease
and one way of identifying how fit you are is by measuring the
time it takes for your heart rate to return to normal following
exertion.
"This study shows that by recording this measure we can help
to detect women at risk of CHD who can then take action to safeguard
their health."
Scientists
from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore found treadmill tests
could help to identify vulnerable women. 
