The American Heart Association (AHA) journal, Circulation, has dedicated its February issue to women’s health and sex-based research in the cardiovascular field [1]. The issue follows suit in the AHA campaign “Go Red for Women,” which raises awareness of women’s cardiovascular health and promotes sex-specific treatment guidelines, risk assessment, and sex-based research. Research featured in the issue focuses not only on sex-based cardiovascular health but also broader topics such as gender-bias in faculty rank among academic cardiologists and sex-bias in preclinical cardiovascular research.  

Dr. Marla Mendelson, Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Pediatrics (Genetics, Birth Defects and Metabolism) at Northwestern University, shares her thoughts on the issue:

"Finally, after 20 years of messaging to women and their health care providers, we see cardiovascular mortality declining in women and that is just providing them with the cardiac care we know works in men.  We are beginning to see a glimmer of more women in cardiovascular studies of drugs and procedures.  We have some early gender specific outcome data and sometimes, women do better after certain interventions.  We have to keep this momentum going and see more in the literature regarding the cardiovascular care of women in not just the February journal issue."

To access the February issue of Circulation, click here.

February is American Heart Month, to learn more about heart health check out the following resources:

Reference:
1. Circulation. 2017;135(6).