The first commission focused on the burden of cardiovascular disease in women aims to improve the outcomes of women with heart disease by 2030, according to a report published May 17 in The Lancet.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women worldwide, responsible for 35 percent of all deaths among the population, the report highlights.
Four notes on the commission and report:
1. The all-female commission consists of 17 experts from 11 different countries, and is led by Roxana Mehran, MD, professor of medicine at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine in New York City. Dr. Mehran is also the director of interventional cardiovascular research and clinical trials at the medical school.
2. The group aims to identify under-studied risk factors for heart disease. "Physicians are aware that hypertension, smoking, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes are the most important evidence-based risk factors for heart disease," Dr. Mehran said. "We now need to direct our study toward lesser-known risk factors that impact women's health. Specifically, stress, psychosocial and economic deprivation play a pronounced but understudied role," adding that analyzing such factors can help "better prevent, identify and treat heart disease, reducing mortality rates and improving women's health on a global scale."
3. The wide-ranging report highlights that women are disproportioinatly affected by sex-specific risk factors for heart disease, such as preterm delivery and domestic violence, among other findings. Education and access to healthcare, as well as other socioeconomic factors, also contribute to the prevalence of heart disease in women globally.
4. In response, the commission outlined a list of recommendations aimed at both preventing heart disease and improving outcomes for women during the next decade, such as enhancing heart health programs in underdeveloped and highly populated regions, increasing women's participation in clinical trials for heart care, and ramping up efforts to improve prevention training for providers and patients.