Improve health outcomes for women as well as marginalised sex and gender groups
Establish a new Centre of Excellence for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine to better understand the causes of poor health, and develop better treatments, clinical guidelines and health services for all.
Recognising and addressing the diverse health needs, risks and influences women experience at different stages of life should receive an increased and sustained focus beyond reproductive health. This approach ensures women have access to the necessary support to improve their lifelong health and well-being.5
Noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart attack, are leading causes of mortality for women. However, data on women’s unique needs for preventing and managing these conditions is limited, and risk factors are often underrecognised. This contributes to poorer clinical outcomes and greater complications in women with cardiovascular diseases.6 More research is needed to understand the unique risk factors women face in developing noncommunicable diseases, as they are underrepresented in clinical trials. In addition, few trials explore conditions that predominantly or exclusively affect women, such as high blood pressure during pregnancy, which increases the risk of developing premature cardiovascular diseases.7
This underrepresentation has led to fewer effective treatments and more treatment side-effects for women. Women need to be included in health research and clinical trials, to change the trajectory of noncommunicable diseases. This is because both sex and gender impact the causes of disease, symptoms and responses to treatment. To improve enrolment, strategies should focus on supporting the participation of women as well as marginalised sex and gender groups (e.g. intersex, trans, and gender-diverse people) in clinical trials. This should include addressing barriers such as pregnancy and caregiving responsibilities.
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References:
5 Carcel C, Haupt S, Arnott C, Yap M-L, Henry A, Hirst JE, Woodward M, Norton R. A life-course approach to tackling non-communicable diseases in women. Nature Medicine 2024: 30; 51-60. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02738-1
6 Burgess, S, & Mamas A.M., ‘Narrowing disparities in PCI outcomes in women; From risk assessment, to referral pathways and outcomes’, American Heart Journal Plus: Cardiology Research and Practice, vol. 24, doi:10.1016/j.ahjo.2022.100225
7 Arnott C, Nelson M, Alfaro Ramirez M, Hyett J, Gale M, Henry A, Celermajer DS, Taylor L, Woodward M. 2020, ‘Maternal cardiovascular risk after hypertensive disorder of pregnancy’, Heart, vol. 106, no 24, pp.1927-1933, doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2020-316541