The Impact of Stress on Heart Attack Risk and Recovery in Women

Stress has long been associated with cardiovascular risk, but few studies have connected stress with worsened recovery rates after heart attacks. Moreover, the recently published discovery that women with mental stress may suffer worse outcomes recovering from heart attacks than men under similar conditions raises more questions than answers. What are the possible mechanisms by which this gender disparity in outcomes may occur, and how can clinicians help mitigate this risk? Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Nieca Goldberg, cardiologist and director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health at NYU Langone Medical Center.