“The Commission will continue to observe trends, evaluate the effect of current recommendations, and suggest actionable key initiatives to combat cardiovascular disease in women during the next decade.”
The Commission aims to help reduce the global burden of cardiovascular conditions – including heart disease and stroke by 2030. Cardiovascular disease is responsible for 35 per cent of deaths in women each year.
High blood pressure is the greatest risk factor contributing to years of lost life from CVD in women, followed by high body mass index and high low density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol.
Gemma said while these well-established risk factors might affect women differently than men, there are sex-specific risk factors such as premature menopause and pregnancy related-disorders that must be more widely recognised and prioritised as part of treatment and prevention efforts worldwide.
“This report lays out the gaps and challenges, and identifies strategies required to begin to improve the health of women’s hearts around the world,” she said.
“The commissioners are committed to work with researchers from across the translational pipeline to unravel novel mechanisms, best prevention and treatment strategies, and to improve equitable access.”