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Published on: January 15, 2022
Women and coronary heart disease risk factors
1Division of Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, LHRB 310-UAB Station, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA. vbittner@uab.edu
Insights
Cardiovascular risk factors like smoking and inactivity are common in women and increase heart disease risk. While treatments for hypertension and dyslipidemia are effective, many women remain undertreated.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Women's Health
- Public Health
Background:
- Cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent in women and often cluster together.
- Established links exist between smoking, inactivity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and coronary heart disease (CHD) in women.
- The roles of menopause, psychosocial factors, and inflammation in women's cardiovascular risk require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the prevalence and impact of cardiovascular risk factors in women.
- To highlight the effectiveness of interventions such as smoking cessation, physical activity, and treatment of hypertension and dyslipidemia.
- To identify gaps in the management of cardiovascular risk in women.
Main Methods:
- Review of observational studies on cardiovascular risk factors and CHD in women.
- Analysis of clinical trial data on interventions for hypertension and dyslipidemia.
- Synthesis of evidence regarding the impact of lifestyle factors and established risk factors.
Main Results:
- Smoking cessation and physical activity are associated with reduced CHD risk in women.
- Treatment of hypertension and dyslipidemia significantly lowers CHD risk in both genders.
- A substantial proportion of women with hypertension and dyslipidemia are undertreated.
Conclusions:
- Addressing modifiable cardiovascular risk factors is crucial for preventing CHD in women.
- Improved management of hypertension and dyslipidemia in women is warranted.
- Further research is needed to clarify the influence of menopause, psychosocial factors, and inflammation.
Abstract:
The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among women is high and cardiovascular risk factors often occur in clusters. Strong relationships between exposure to cigarette smoke, physical inactivity, hypertension, and abnormal levels of lipoproteins and homocysteine and subsequent coronary heart disease (CHD) in women are evident from many studies, while the impact of menopause, psychosocial factors, and inflammatory markers is less clear and requires further study. Observational studies document that smoking cessation reduces CHD risk among persons with and without existing CHD, and that moderate levels of physical activity are associated with lower CHD risk. Clinical trials over the last decade have convincingly shown that treatment of hypertension and dyslipidemia reduces CHD risk in both genders, but many women (and men) with hypertension and dyslipidemia remain either untreated or under-treated.
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