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Review
. 2022 Jun 7;145(23):e1059-e1071.
doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001071. Epub 2022 May 9.

Call to Action for Cardiovascular Disease in Women: Epidemiology, Awareness, Access, and Delivery of Equitable Health Care: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association

Review

Call to Action for Cardiovascular Disease in Women: Epidemiology, Awareness, Access, and Delivery of Equitable Health Care: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association

Nanette K Wenger et al. Circulation. .

Abstract

Addressing the pervasive gaps in knowledge and care delivery to reduce sex-based disparities and achieve equity is fundamental to the American Heart Association's commitment to advancing cardiovascular health for all by 2024. This presidential advisory serves as a call to action for the American Heart Association and other stakeholders around the globe to identify and remove barriers to health care access and quality for women. A concise and current summary of existing data across the areas of risk and prevention, access and delivery of equitable care, and awareness and education provides a framework to consider knowledge gaps and research needs critical toward achieving significant progress for the health and well-being of all women.

Keywords: AHA Scientific Statements; epidemiology; health; heart disease; prevention; women.

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Conflict of interest statement

The American Heart Association makes every effort to avoid any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of an outside relationship or a personal, professional, or business interest of a member of the writing panel. Specifically, all members of the writing group are required to complete and submit a Disclosure Questionnaire showing all such relationships that might be perceived as real or potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Prevalence of selected cardiovascular risk factors among US adults.
Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors for women and men (A) and women by race and ethnicity (B). C, Prevalence of diabetes in women and men. D, Prevalence of elevated LDL cholesterol (≥130 mg/dL) in women and men. E, Prevalence of hypertension in women and men. F, Prevalence of overweight and obesity in women and men. Solid bars indicate prevalence data for US women; open bars indicate prevalence for US men. LDL indicates low-density lipoprotein; and NH, non-Hispanic. Adapted from Virani et al. Copyright © 2021 American Heart Association, Inc. *Note: The Hispanic cohort described in this figure is composed mostly of Mexican American individuals.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Prevalence of selected cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions among US adults.
Prevalence of selected cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions for women and men (A) and for women by race and ethnicity (B). C, Prevalence of heart failure in women and men. D, Prevalence of myocardial infarction in women and men. E, Prevalence of stroke in women and men. F, Prevalence of coronary heart disease in women and men. Solid bars indicate prevalence data for US women; open bars indicate prevalence for US men. NH indicates non-Hispanic. Adapted from Virani et al. Copyright © 2021 American Heart Association, Inc. *Note: The Hispanic cohort described in this figure is composed mostly of Mexican American individuals.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Call to action for reducing the risks and burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women.

References

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MeSH terms