Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, yet differences exist among certain racial and ethnic groups. Aside from traditional risk factors, behavioral and environmental factors and social determinants of health affect cardiovascular health and risk in women. Language barriers, discrimination, acculturation, and health care access disproportionately affect women of underrepresented races and ethnicities. These factors result in a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease and significant challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular conditions. Culturally sensitive, peer-led community and health care professional education is a necessary step in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Equitable access to evidence-based cardiovascular preventive health care should be available for all women regardless of race and ethnicity; however, these guidelines are not equally incorporated into clinical practice. This scientific statement reviews the current evidence on racial and ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk factors and current cardiovascular preventive therapies for women in the United States.

Keywords: AHA Scientific Statements; cardiovascular diseases; ethnicity; primary prevention; racial groups; risk factors; women.

PubMed Disclaimer

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.. Cardiovascular risk factors in women and the impact of race and ethnicity contribution.
CVD indicates cardiovascular disease.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Nonbiological variables to be incorporated into the cardiovascular risk assessment of women.
CVD indicates cardiovascular disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tsao CW, Aday AW, Almarzooq ZI, Alonso A, Beaton AZ, Bittencourt MS, Boehme AK, Buxton AE, Carson AP, Commodore-Mensah Y, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics–2022 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2022;145:e153–e639. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001052 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Women’s Health Research. Women’s Health Research: Progress, Pitfalls, and Promise. National Academies Press; 2010. - PubMed
    1. Lloyd-Jones DM, Elkind M, Albert MA. American Heart Association’s 2024 Impact Goal: every person deserves the opportunity for a full, healthy life. Circulation. 2021;144:e277–e279. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.057617 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, Beam C, Birtcher KK, Blumenthal RS, Braun LT, de Ferranti S, Faiella-Tommasino J, Forman DE, et al. 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA guideline on the management of blood cholesterol: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines [published correction appears in Circulation. 2019;139:e1182–e1186]. Circulation. 2019;139:e1082–e1143. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000698 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Whelton PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, Casey DE Jr, Collins KJ, Dennison Himmelfarb C, DePalma SM, Gidding S, Jamerson KA, Jones DW, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2018;138:e484–e594. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000596 - DOI - PubMed