Find the Right Doctor

Q: I am a 55-year-old woman with anxiety disorder. My doctor tells me not to worry about heart disease, but my older sister had a heart attack. How do I get my doctor to listen to me and share my concern about heart disease?

A: Based on your family’s history, you are correct in being concerned about heart disease. Research has shown that if your sibling had an early heart attack, you are nearly three times more likely to have calcium as a marker of atherosclerosis in your coronary arteries, placing you at increased risk for a heart attack.
           
Effective communication and trust is essential between a doctor and patient. If you feel your doctor doesn’t take your concerns seriously, you may want to consider changing doctors to get an objective analysis of your personal risk.

Jennifer H. Mieres, M.D., is director of nuclear cardiology and associate professor of clinical medicine at New York University. She's also a spokesperson for the American Heart Association.