Reducing women's cardiovascular disease risk profile

Abstract

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. Unique risk factors have been recognized, including pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and autoimmune diseases. Diabetes and hypertension (HTN) also play a unique role in women. Women with diabetes have a higher risk for coronary heart disease and microvascular disease compared with males. Additionally, older women have a high prevalence of uncontrolled HTN and women tend to have more treatment resistant HTN, increasing risk for cardiovascular events and mortality. The outcomes of cardiovascular disease have shown an increase in the number of heart attacks in younger women, though there is decreasing mortality. Treatment with coronary artery bypass graft surgery and percutaneous intervention has also shown to have poorer outcomes in women.