Women and Cardiovascular Disease: Pregnancy, the Forgotten Risk Factor

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Women's Health
• Public Health

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability in women globally.
• Female-specific risk factors for CVD are often underappreciated and not included in current risk prediction models.
• Hypertensive and metabolic disorders of pregnancy significantly increase the risk of premature CVD in women.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the underestimation of female-specific risk factors in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prediction.
• To advocate for the inclusion of pregnancy-related complications in CVD risk assessment models.
• To emphasize the need for gender-specific approaches in CVD research, diagnosis, and management for women.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in women.
• Analysis of the impact of hypertensive and metabolic disorders of pregnancy on CVD risk.
• Discussion of current limitations in CVD risk prediction models for women.

Main Results:

• Hypertensive and metabolic disorders of pregnancy are independent risk factors for premature CVD, more than doubling the risk.
• Current CVD risk prediction models do not account for these significant female-specific risk factors.
• Failure to recognize these risks leads to missed opportunities for primary prevention and education.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need to integrate female-specific risk factors, such as pregnancy complications, into cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction models.
• Research methodologies must evolve to include comprehensive pregnancy histories and report gender-disaggregated outcomes.
• Implementing gender-specific CVD assessment and management strategies is crucial for improving women's cardiovascular health outcomes globally.