Cardiologist warns ‘cardiovascular disease is leading cause of women's death’; prevention requires sex-specific approach

Cardiologist Dr Lily highlights the critical need for a sex-specific approach to women's cardiovascular health, focusing on risks like gestational disorders.

According to the World Heart Federation, every year, cardiovascular disease is responsible for 30 percent of deaths in women, which is over twice as many deaths in women each year as all forms of cancer combined.

Women face unique risks when it comes to heart-related health issues, largely due to differences in anatomy and hormones. In a video shared on October 29, Dr Lily Dastmalchi, a preventive cardiologist with over 7 years of experience, highlighted why it is essential to have a sex-specific approach for cardiovascular prevention in women.

Sex-specific preventive approach for women

Dr Lily noted that cardiovascular prevention for women requires a sex-specific approach, from addressing pregnancy-related risk enhancers to recognising the cardiometabolic changes during menopause.

Stressing that women's cardiovascular health is incredibly important, the cardiologist stated, “We know that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death of women globally, and there are so many risk enhancers that are sex specific that we tend to fail to acknowledge as clinicians that we need to really focus on women's heart health.”

How is this possible?

According to Dr Lily, one of the things that doctors really need to factor in while monitoring women's cardiovascular health is the risk of gestational disorders during pregnancy and asking patients about their history.

What are gestational disorders? It is a condition that affects a pregnancy, such as gestational trophoblastic disease. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, it is the name given to a group of tumours that form during abnormal pregnancies. It is rare, affecting about one in every 1,000 pregnant women in the US.

As for the patient's history, Dr Lily stressed it is important to learn about family history, but also their pregnancy history, and symptoms they could be having during menopause.

She added, “As we know, the menopause transition is a critical time of cardiometabolic change, and it's a really nice window to really make an impact in women's lives.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

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