Beverly Hills cardiologist Arash Bereliani, MD, FACC, has released a new book titled "What About Her Heart" to address the documented gap in public understanding of female heart attack signs and how they differ from symptoms typically associated with men. The book, available on Amazon, translates clinical realities into accessible language for a general readership.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death among women in the United States, yet studies consistently show that women are less likely to recognize their own cardiac symptoms or receive a timely diagnosis. Dr. Bereliani, a board-certified cardiologist with the American College of Cardiology, wrote the book to bridge that awareness gap. The book covers the full range of cardiovascular risk in women, from early warning signs often misattributed to other conditions, to serious diagnoses like congestive heart failure that women experience as a distinct patient population.
Rather than focusing on the classic chest-clutching, left-arm-pain narrative, the book examines how women often present with pressure, nausea, jaw discomfort, fatigue, and shortness of breath—symptoms that do not always prompt an immediate emergency response. The book is structured to serve women seeking to understand their own cardiac risk, as well as family members and caregivers. Dr. Bereliani draws on his clinical background to explain how hormonal changes across a woman's lifespan—including pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause—interact with cardiovascular health and elevate risk in ways that remain underappreciated.
The book also examines women heart attack warning signs that research suggests are underreported during emergency presentations, including atypical discomfort patterns that can contribute to delayed treatment. A dedicated section addresses congestive heart failure women experience, including differences in how the condition progresses and responds to treatment compared to men. "Women account for nearly half of all heart disease deaths in the U.S. each year, yet the majority of cardiovascular research published before 2000 was conducted primarily on male subjects," said Dr. Bereliani. "This book exists because a woman sitting in a waiting room or talking to her daughter deserves access to the same level of detail I would give a patient in my office."
The book is available now on Amazon in ebook format. Its release comes as cardiologists and patient advocacy organizations increase calls for public education efforts directed specifically at women. Dr. Bereliani has practiced interventional and preventive cardiology in Beverly Hills for more than two decades and has contributed to patient education initiatives centered on cardiovascular risk reduction. For more information, visit the Beverly Hills Institute for Cardiology & Preventive Medicine website.
