简介：Depression/anxiety-relateddisordersandpsychosocialstresshavebeenimplicatedascardiovasculardisease(CVD)riskfactors.Womenareatconsiderableriskforaffectivedisordersandreportgreaterseverityfrompsychosocialstress,comparedtomen.Affectivedisordersandcardiovasculardiseaselikelyshareunderlyingpathophysiologicalmechanismsthatarepotentiatedamongwomen–especiallyyoungerwomen.Environmentalstressorsthatthreatenthesafety,security,andstatusofanindividualareappraisedbythebrain,producingacascadeofevokedphysiologicalandcognitiveresponses.Intheshortterm,theseprocessesovercomestressors,butcomewithlong-termhealthimplications.Chronicpsychosocialstressleadstoadysregulationofthestressresponsesystemsthatcanleadtoaheightenedstressappraisalschemacalledtheunpredictabilityschema,aconstructthatmightarguablyplacewomenatheightenedriskforCVD.

简介：Conventionalrecommendationsfordiagnostictestingfortheevaluationofstableischemicheartdiseaseinwomenhavelargelyparalleledthoseinmen.Althoughtheyaredesignedprimarilyfortheidentificationofobstructivecoronaryarterydisease(CAD),traditionalapproachescanleadtoovertestinginwomenwithoutdifferentiatingwhoistrulyatrisk.Severaluniquefactorsrelatedtothepresentation,diagnosis,andunderlyingpathophysiologyofstableischemicheartdiseaseinwomennecessitateamorespecificapproachtotheassessmentoftheirrisk,completewithseparateguidelineswhenappropriate.Thisoverviewhighlightshowadvancednoninvasiveimagingtools,includingcardiaccomputedtomographyangiography,positronemissiontomography,andcardiacmagneticresonanceimaging,areenablingverysensitiveassessmentsofanatomicatheroscleroticplaqueburden,macrovessel-andmicrovessel-relatedischemia,andmyocardialfibrosis,respectively.Movingforward,effectivediagnostictestingwillneedtoidentifywomenathighriskofadversecardiovascularevents(notanatomicallyobstructiveCADperse)withoutovertestingthoseatlowrisk.JudiciousapplicationofnovelimagingapproacheswillbecriticaltobroadeningthedefinitionsofCADandischemiatobetterreflectthewholespectrumofpathologicalphenotypesinwomen,includingnonobstructiveCADandcoronarymicrovasculardysfunction,andaidinthedevelopmentofneededevidence-basedstrategiesfortheirmanagement.