title: Gender Disparities Across the Spectrum of Advanced Cardiac Therapies: Real or Imagined?
abstract: Cardiovascular disease has been responsible for more deaths in women than in men each year since 1985. This review discusses federal laws that have influenced the inclusion of women in research and reporting sex-specific differences, then addresses gender differences and gender disparities in four areas of clinical cardiovascular medicine: coronary heart disease, valvular heart disease, electrophysiology, and heart failure. The prevalence of disease in women is highlighted, the clinical characteristics of women at the time of referral for advanced therapies are reviewed, and the clinical outcomes of women are discussed. With the emergence of new technology such as smaller devices and less invasive procedures, more women are being referred for advanced therapies. However, a gap in awareness and diagnosis remains, contributing to later referrals for women. Women who do undergo advanced therapies often have more comorbidities and worse outcomes than men. A call is made to increase awareness, educate healthcare providers, and report more sex-specific data to resolve these gender disparities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Texas Heart Institute, 6620 Main Street, Suite 1100, 6770 Bertner Avenue, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. roberta.bogaev@bcm.edu.
authors.forename: Roberta C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Bogaev
mesh_terms: D054849:Cardiac Electrophysiology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D016387:Women's Health
keywords: Coronary heart disease; Electrophysiology; Gender disparities; Heart failure; Sex differences; Valvular heart disease