Guidelines for primary prevention of CVD in women by ACC/AHA
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women worldwide.
The American College of Cardiology CVD in Women Committee undertook a review of the recent guidelines and major studies to summarize recommendations pertinent to women and have released them. The guidelines have been published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
There has been no American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association guideline update specifically for the prevention of CVD in women since 2011.
Since 2011 when last guidelines for prevention of CVD in women were developed, the body of sex-specific data has grown, in addition to updated hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and primary prevention guidelines.In this update, the authors address special topics, particularly the risk factors and treatments that have led to some controversies and confusion. Specifically, sex-related risk factors, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation, use of aspirin, perimenopausal hormone therapy, and psychosocial issues are highlighted.
Although general principles of primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases are same in both sexes, females have sex specific issues which need to be addressed which include-
a) Women have unique risk factors for CVD—such as PCOS and pregnancy-associated conditions that increase future risk of CVD.
b) Women also have different manifestations of CVD, and studies have shown sex differences in their response to risk factors and treatments.
C) Knowledge of unique risk factors in women as well as treatment gap is critical in lowering cardiovascular risk in women.
General principles of primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in women are enumerated as below -
The most important way to prevent atherosclerotic vascular disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation is to promote a healthy lifestyle throughout life.
A team-based care approach is an effective strategy for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Clinicians should evaluate the social determinants of health that affect individuals to inform treatment decisions.
Adults who are 40 to 75 years of age and are being evaluated for cardiovascular disease prevention should undergo 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk estimation and have a clinician–patient risk discussion before starting on pharmacological therapy, such as antihypertensive therapy, a statin, or aspirin. In addition, assessing for other risk-enhancing factors can help guide decisions about preventive interventions in select individuals, as can coronary artery calcium scanning.
All adults should consume a healthy diet that emphasizes the intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, lean vegetable or animal protein, and fish and minimizes the intake of trans fats, red meat and processed red meats, refined carbohydrates, and sweetened beverages. For adults with overweight and obesity, counseling and caloric restriction are recommended for achieving and maintaining weight loss.
Adults should engage in at least 150 minutes per week of accumulated moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity physical activity.
For adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, lifestyle changes, such as improving dietary habits and achieving exercise recommendations, are crucial. If medication is indicated, metformin is first-line therapy, followed by consideration of a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor or a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist.
All adults should be assessed at every healthcare visit for tobacco use, and those who use tobacco should be assisted and strongly advised to quit.
Aspirin should be used infrequently in the routine primary prevention of ASCVD because of lack of net benefit.
Statin therapy is first-line treatment for primary prevention of ASCVD in patients with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (≥190 mg/dL), those with diabetes mellitus, who are 40 to 75 years of age, and those determined to be at sufficient ASCVD risk after a clinician–patient risk discussion.
Nonpharmacological interventions are recommended for all adults with elevated blood pressure or hypertension. For those requiring pharmacological therapy, the target blood pressure should generally be <130/80 mm Hg.
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