Guidelines for Protecting Women’s Hearts

 Cardiovascular disease is the chief cause of death among women. Nevertheless, in a recent survey of women, only 13% responded that their own greatest health threat was heart disease.1  Although the manifestations of heart disease develop later in women than in men, inadequate preventive measures, sex-based disparities in treatment, and the aging of the US population result in the deaths of more than 500,000 women from this disease every year. The first evidence-based recommendations for cardiovascular disease prevention in women were published in 2004 (Table).2  Tool kits based on these guidelines were distributed to 80,000 physicians as part of the Go Red for Women campaign of the American Heart Association, which seeks to raise awareness of women’s cardiovascular risks and the measures that can be implemented to reduce them. REFERENCES: 1. Mosca L, Ferris A, Fabunmi R, Robertson RM; American Heart Association. Tracking women’s awareness of heart disease: an American Heart Association national study. Circulation. 2004;109:573-579. 2. Mosca L, Appel LJ, Benjamin EJ, et al. Evidence-based guidelines for cardiovascular disease prevention in women. Circulation. 2004;109:672-693.