Malattie cardiovascolari: è tempo di pensare alla prevenzione nelle donne: Cardiovascular disease: time to reconsider prevention in women

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in women but for many years the problem has been under-estimated. Because of the protective action of hormones, women present the event about 10 years later than men and often women have worse prognosis due to advanced age, comorbidities, delay in the diagnosis and less aggressive treatment. For these reasons it is important to increase primary prevention policies, even in populations considered to be at low risk such as women. In fact, there are strong data in literature that shows how the maintenance of a favorable risk profile, by modifying lifestyles, is associated with a drastic reduction in cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. The goal is to maintain "cardiovascular health", defined by 4 life-style-related parameters (non-smoking, BMI < 25 kg/ m2, physical activity, nutrition) and 3 biohumoral factors (BP < 120/80 mmHg, CT < 200 mg / dl, blood sugar < 100 mg / dl). In this context, we present a review on heart disease in women, about the epidemiological data of our country, and we propose primary prevention strategies in outpatients setting where it is possible to set up multidisciplinary teams and opportunistic screening of risk factors.