Chronic heart failure in women. Brief review with a focus on new quality markers in therapy

Abstract

The problem of cardiovascular diseases in women is often neglected. Current guidelines recommend the same treatment for chronic heart failure (HF) in all patients regardless of sex. However, prior studies demonstrated sex‑related differences in many aspects of HF care. Female patients with HF are less likely than men to receive evidence‑based, guideline‑recommended treatment; on the other hand, the effect of patient's sex on the administration of treatment is eliminated when the objective reasons for not using these therapies are taken into account. Women with HF are not undertreated in comparison with men when considering objective reasons (this is the cardinal advantage of new HF quality markers). Despite known sex differences, recommendations for HF treatment are the same for women and men because prospective sex‑specific clinical trials have not been conducted. There is an urgent need for further research specifically focused on women with HF.