By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Four leading medical societies on Monday released a shared framework for assessing and improving women’s cardiovascular health, starting with screening in childhood rather than waiting until adulthood.
The American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine published three manuscripts simultaneously in the AHA’s flagship journal Circulation. Northwestern University cardiology experts Dr. Sadiya Khan and Dr. Amanda Marma Perak served as chair and vice chair of the collaborative science advisory group.
The framework introduces a “Female Life Stages” model with four stages tied to hormonal transitions: perimenarche (approximately ages 8 to 15), ovarian cycling (ages 15 to 44), perimenopause (ages 45 to 51) and postmenopause (age 51 and older).
“Each of these four societies has been addressing women’s heart health but it has been siloed across specialties, which leads to fragmented care for women,” Khan, an associate professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a news release. “It’s like we’ve all been playing different sports and now we’re trying to create a new sport with a singular playbook.”
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death among U.S. women. Progress in reducing those deaths has largely stalled over the past two decades, according to the research.
“Heart health begins long before adulthood,” Perak, an associate professor of pediatrics and preventive medicine at Feinberg and a pediatric cardiologist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, said in the news release. “As pediatric clinicians, we have the opportunity to help every girl start strong and ensure that what we learn about her health follows her as she grows.”
Two of the papers establish the four-stage life stage model to help clinicians identify cardiovascular risks earlier and intervene sooner. The third proposes a national network of comprehensive cardiovascular care centers for women built around four pillars: interdisciplinary care, professional training, research and community engagement.
Pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and preterm birth, are already recognized as female-specific cardiovascular risk enhancers, according to the publications. Conditions often viewed primarily through a reproductive-health lens, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, may also serve as early indicators of future cardiovascular risk, Khan said in the release.
“As we continue to advance a personalized approach to health, sex matters,” Khan said in the news release. “There are clear differences by sex and gender that influence cardiovascular health. Both must be accounted for.”
Dr. Natalie Cameron, an assistant professor of general internal medicine and preventive medicine at Feinberg and a member of the writing group, called the effort a collaborative, multidisciplinary undertaking.
“This work was a truly collaborative, multidisciplinary effort, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of cardiovascular health promotion in women and the importance of partnerships across specialties,” Cameron said in the news release.
The publications come amid growing national attention on gaps in cardiovascular care and research for women, who make up half the U.S. population. The framework provides clinicians with evidence-based guidance for delivering more personalized care across the lifespan.
The three manuscripts were published Oct. 26 in Circulation.
