Addressing Cardiovascular Risk Across the Arc of a Woman ’s Life: Sex-Specific Prevention and Treatment

AbstractPurpose of ReviewCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women  in the United States of America. Despite this, women are underdiagnosed, less often receive preventive care, and are undertreated for CVD compared to men. There has been an increase in sex-specific risk factors and treatments over the past decade; however, sex-specific recommendations have not bee n included in the guidelines. We aim to highlight recent evidence behind the differential effect of traditional risk factors and underscore sex-specific risk factors with an intention to promote awareness, improve risk stratification, and early implementation of appropriate preventive therapies in women.Recent FindingsWomen are prescribed fewer antihypertensives and lipid-lowering agents and receive less cardiovascular care as compared to men. Additionally, pregnancy complications have been associated with increased cardiovascular mortality later in life. Findings from the  ARIC study suggest that there is a perception of lower risk of cardiovascular disease in women. The SWEDEHEART study which investigated sex differences in treatment, noted a lower prescription of guideline-directed therapy in women. Women are less likely to be prescribed statin medications by thei r providers in both primary and secondary prevention as they are considered lower risk than men, while also being more likely to decline and discontinue treatment. A woman’s abnormal response to pregnancy...
Source: Current Cardiology Reports - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research