Peer Reviewed
Feature Article Cardiovascular medicine
Women with heart disease: are they overlooked?
Recent articles on:
Heart disease in women
Heart disease in women
Recent articles on:
Heart diseases
Heart diseases
Abstract
Heart disease remains the major killer of women in Australia. Many of these deaths are preventable through risk-factor modification and early detection of the disease.
Key Points
- It is important to raise public and physician awareness of heart disease in women.
- Most women in Australia have two or more modifiable cardiovascular risk factors.
- Women with diabetes are a high-risk group for cardiovascular disease and warrant close follow up.
- It is important to eliminate gender bias through timely referral, appropriate investigation and application of evidence-based treatments.
- Women derive a clinical benefit from secondary prevention similar to men but remain undertreated and, ultimately, women with coronary heart disease have a worse prognosis than men.
- There is a need for increased recruitment of women in clinical trials on cardiovascular disease.
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