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Women’s health societies release report on CVD
The 10Q Report addresses top 10 unanswered questions on women and cardiovascular disease.
A recent report from a consortium of health research groups identifies what experts agree are the top 10 unanswered questions about cardiovascular disease in women.
“This report is a call to action to fund and support research efforts. Answering these questions will ultimately save money and save lives,” said Sharonne Hayes, MD, director of the Mayo Clinic Women’s Heart Clinic.
Hayes was one of the experts who contributed to The 10Q Report: Advancing Women’s Heart Health Through Improved Research, Diagnosis and Treatment. It was released in Washington D.C. earlier this year, and Hayes said research organizations are currently lobbying for more focus on women’s health research.
“In a perfect world, we’d all like to practice evidence-based medicine, and part of the effort is to build up the database with more information on women,” Hayes said.
The 10Q Report is a first step and researchers hope to have more questions developed soon, Hayes said. “Women’s heart health is an issue that has become very personal. I’ve heard many young doctors say, ‘We’re losing our grandmothers,’” she said.
The report was developed by WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease and the Society for Women’s Health Research.
Hayes said clinicians could respond to the report in three ways. First, they could encourage their female patients to become more involved in clinical research.
Second, clinicians could evaluate any studies in the literature to determine if they report data by gender.
Finally, clinicians can recognize that extrapolating data from studies based on men and using this to care for women may not be the best option. – by Jeremy Moore