Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in women present differently compared to men and have distinct warning signs. For example, angina, a disease that restricts blood flow to the heart and is typically detected through chest pain, has additional symptoms such as dizziness and nausea for women. Women are also at greater risk for other health conditions that increase their likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD). As such, a study conducted by Nathani et al. emphasizes how women are more susceptible to inflammation and autoimmune conditions, which consequently increases their risk for CVD.
Cardiovascular disease treatments, symptoms, and indicators for women are significantly understudied and go undetected for longer due to a historic lack of female leadership and recruitment in cardiovascular research studies. Accessibility to participate in such studies remains an obstacle for many mothers who often juggle childcare and family responsibilities, and therefore do not have the time to join clinical trials. As such, current medical practitioners aren’t comprehensively trained in detecting unique CVD warning signs or risk factors for women. Pregnancy also drastically alters cardiovascular function and can reveal or worsen existing cardiovascular diseases. Because of this, CVD is responsible for 26.5% of the mortalities in pregnant women and new mothers.
Underrepresentation of women in cardiology fields and research studies means limited solutions for female cardiovascular health
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Nathani et al. also highlight how women make up half of the graduating classes from medical universities in the United States and Europe, yet less than ⅕ of cardiology students are women. There is a clear disparity between the care offered by men and women providers in the cardiology field, and this has detrimental consequences for female cardiovascular health. Nathani et al. mention that women with acute myocardial infarction improved more under the care of a female cardiologist compared to a male doctor. However, male physicians who have more female patients can become better at detecting female CVD symptoms and warning indicators. Increasing female participation in CVD studies by offering childcare services, actively enlisting women, educating medical students and cardiologists about workplace bias and gender disparities in healthcare, and cross-practice discussion between obstetrics physicians and cardiologists offer some solutions to bridge the gap in CVD knowledge and prevention for women.
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