The McKinsey Health Institute and the American Heart Association studied the effect heart health inequities have on women’s lives in a recently published report, “The State of U.S. Women’s Heart Health: A Path to Improved Health and Financial Outcomes.”
Here are 10 things to know from the report:
- Women in the U.S. could regain 1.6 million years of life lost because of poor health and early deaths if health inequities were addressed.
- While men have a higher prevalence of diabetes than women, the presence of diabetes increases women’s cardiovascular risk by three- to sevenfold compared to two- to threefold in men.
- While men have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease, women are more likely to die after having an acute cardiovascular event. A recent study found women are more likely to die from cardiac surgery complications as well.
- Racial disparities exist among women across races and ethnicities. In the U.S., 59% of Black women over the age of 20 have cardiovascular disease, compared to 43% of Hispanic women, 43% of Asian American women and 42% of white women. Black women also have higher prevalence of morbidity from cardiovascular disease.
- Life stages characterized by fluctuating estrogen levels, puberty, pregnancy and menopause place additional physiological stress on a woman’s body and heart. When addressing women’s heart health, these sex-related risk factors should be considered alongside behavioral, environmental and social risk factors.
- Among 740 clinical trials for cardiovascular health between 2010 to 2017, women made up only 38% of study participants. Postmenopausal women had the lowest study participation rate, at 26%. Despite having a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease, persons of African, Hispanic or Indigenous descent are also underrepresented in U.S. clinical trials.
- Lack of representation in clinical trials leads to limited data on how treatments, and preventative measures affect the female body, contributing to misdiagnosis and inadequate cardiovascular care.
- In a recent study, only 22% of primary care physicians and 42% of cardiologists said they felt extremely well prepared to assess cardiovascular risk in women.
- Though half of U.S. medical school graduates are women, they represent 15% of adult cardiologists and 4% of interventional cardiologists.
- The reports recommendations to close the cardiovascular care gap are:
- Advance sex-specific research to prioritize sex-specific differences.
- Improve guidelines and algorithms for routine health data collection, diagnostics and treatment.
- Equip healthcare providers across the care continuum to view women’s cardiovascular health as a shared responsibility to improve outcomes.
- Raise public awareness of women’s heart health and tailor prevention strategies for unique stages across a woman’s lifespan.
- Addressing racial and sex based biases and inequities by offering tailored healthcare delivery models that address specific communities.
- Investing in businesses, initiatives and technologies that aim to improve women’s cardiovascular health
Read the full report here.
