Cardiovascular disease prevention tailored for women

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease prevention is most effective when it is tailored for individual risk, since the benefit of any preventive intervention should outweigh its potential side effects and costs. Recognition of important gender differences in cardiovascular disease prevention has led to the formulation of specific guidelines for women. Based on a rigorous review of evidence, the 2007 American Heart Association guidelines for cardiovascular disease prevention in women differ little from the guidelines for men. The main difference pertains to the role of aspirin in primary cardiovascular prevention and to the appreciation of diabetes as a more detrimental risk factor in women than men. These guidelines provide a valuable framework to select the optimal preventive strategy for women of all ages, based on individual risk stratification, potentially supplemented with appropriate use of novel imaging modalities. Observational data continue to identify discrepancies between women and men, which target areas of need for future research.

Keywords::

• cardiovascular
• prevention
• risk assessment
• women

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Nanette Wenger has received Research Grants/Contracts/Trial Steering from Pfizer, Merck, NHLBI, CV Therapeutics, and Abbott. She is also on a Committee/Trial Adjudication Committee for Sanofi-Aventis, and Eli Lilly. Finally, Nanette Wenger is a Consultant for Women’s Advisory Board, CV Therapeutics; Cardiovascular Advisory Board, Leadership Council for Improving Cardiovascular Care (LCIC); Executive Committee, Schering-Plough; AstraZeneca; Abbott; Merck; and Pfizer. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.