Risk factors for cardiovascular disease in women

Abstract

Management of women's health seldom includes cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in spite of CVD being the most common cause of death in females being even more common than cancer, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. According to the World Heart Federation, CVD is indisputably the most serious, neglected health problem for women in both the developing and the developed worlds. A possible reason may be that CVD has traditionally been perceived as a 'man's illness'. Since 6 out of 10 deaths from CVD can be prevented, it is of utmost importance that there is more general awareness about CVD in women. The most important factors for developing CVD are dyslipidaemia, hypertension, smoking, stress, diabetes, obesity (especially abdominal fat distribution), physical inactivity, poor eating habits and possibly excessive alcohol intake. Some unique risk factors for CVD exist in women; of which older age at presentation is a major one as they are more likely to suffer from co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension.