Cardiovascular risk in women with diabetes
A A Rivellese1, G Riccardi, O Vaccaro
1Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Federico II University of Naples, Napoli, Italy. rivelles@unina.it
Insights
Diabetic women face higher cardiovascular disease risks than men, with factors like clustered risks and care disparities contributing. Early detection and gender-specific strategies are crucial for preventing cardiovascular deaths in this population.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Cardiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Diabetes mellitus significantly elevates cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in women, nearly erasing gender-based differences seen in non-diabetic individuals.
- Diabetic women exhibit a higher prevalence, clustering, and severity of cardiovascular risk factors compared to diabetic men, potentially due to biological and behavioral influences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review data on cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes in diabetic women compared to men.
- To highlight disparities in healthcare access, quality, and effectiveness that disadvantage diabetic women.
- To emphasize the preventability of a substantial number of CVD deaths in diabetic women.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing data and literature on cardiovascular disease in diabetic populations.
- Comparative analysis of risk factors, disease prevalence, and mortality between diabetic men and women.
- Assessment of healthcare disparities impacting diabetic women's cardiovascular health.
Main Results:
- Cardiovascular risk factors are more prevalent, cluster more frequently, and are more severe in diabetic women than in men.
- Diabetic women face disadvantages due to disparities in healthcare accessibility, quality, and potentially effectiveness.
- A significant proportion of cardiovascular disease deaths among diabetic women are preventable.
Conclusions:
- Urgent attention is needed for risk factor detection and management in diabetic women.
- Timely diagnosis and treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD) are critical for diabetic women.
- Development and implementation of gender-specific guidelines and measures are recommended to improve cardiovascular outcomes for diabetic women.
Abstract:
Women with diabetes have a high risk of cardiovascular disease that, almost completely eliminates the gender difference in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality between non-diabetic men and women. In this chapter we have reviewed data showing that cardiovascular risk factors are more common, more likely to cluster, or more severe in diabetic women than men; this may be due to biological or behavioural factors. Disparities in accessibility, quality and, possibly, effectiveness of care further disadvantage diabetic women. Based on available data it can be concluded that a large number of CVD deaths are preventable in diabetic women; therefore special attention should be paid to risk factors detection and correction, as well as timely CHD diagnosis and treatment in diabetic women. To meet these needs gender specific guidelines and implementation measures may be in order.
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