Red alert on women's hearts: Women and cardiovascular research in Europe

[Alerte rouge sur le cœur des femmes: Les femmes et la recherche cardiovasculaire en Europe]
Ce rapport préparé dans le cadre du projet EuroHeart aborde la question de la représentation des femmes dans la recherche clinique cardio-vasculaire en recueillant des informations sur les essais cliniques et les registres en Europe.
Cardiovascular diseases represent the major cause of mortality in women and in men. The results of large randomized clinical trials allowed the introduction of preventive measures and effective treatments with a significant improvement of survival and reduction of disability. However, sex and gender differences in the clinical presentation of cardiovascular diseases have been demonstrated and some therapeutic options may not be equally effective and safe in men and women. Under-representation of women in cardiovascular research has been clearly demonstrated in the past and, recently, efforts to enrol a larger number of women in clinical trials have been made.