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Lipids in Women: Management in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Special Subgroups

  • Lipids (E Michos, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

As the adverse impact of cardiovascular disease continues to afflict women around the world, the identification and treatment of risk factors to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality continue to rise in priority. Dyslipidemia is a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease and should serve as a strong focus point in both primary and secondary prevention. However, women remain undertreated compared with men and receive less evidence-based therapies including cholesterol management. Some of the unique risk factors in women that contribute to cardiovascular disease have been incorporated in the current cholesterol management guidelines.

Recent Findings

The medical community and international organizations have helped reduce the annual cardiovascular mortality rates for women since 1984. However, more work remains to be completed as heart disease in women remains inadequately researched, underdiagnosed, and poorly managed. This review discusses contemporary management of dyslipidemia in women, with additional focus on special risk subgroups and integration of the new 2018 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Guidelines on the Management of Blood Cholesterol.

Summary

Dyslipidemia management in women constitutes a substantial portion of the foundation of both primary and secondary prevention and is essential to reducing cardiovascular events in women. The current cholesterol guidelines focus on some of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease that are unique or more common in women. This is a review of how the current cholesterol management guidelines pertain to women specifically and address sex-specific cardiovascular risk factors in women.

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Abbreviations

ACC:

American College of Cardiology

AHA:

American Heart Association

ASCVD:

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

CHD:

Coronary heart disease

CV:

Cardiovascular

CVD:

Cardiovascular disease

FH:

Familial hypercholesterolemia

HDL-C:

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol

HIV:

Human immunodeficiency virus

LDL-C:

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

Lp(a):

Lipoprotein(a)

MetS:

Metabolic syndrome

MI:

Myocardial infarction

Non-HDL:

Non-high-density lipoprotein

PAG:

Physical activity guidelines

RA:

Rheumatoid arthritis

SLE:

Systemic lupus erythematosus

TG:

Triglyceride

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, 101 Woodruff Circle Suite 319, WMB, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Tina Varghese & Gina Lundberg

  2. Emory Women’s Heart Center, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Gina Lundberg

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  1. Tina Varghese
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Correspondence to Tina Varghese.

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Varghese, T., Lundberg, G. Lipids in Women: Management in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Special Subgroups. Curr Cardiovasc Risk Rep 13, 20 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12170-019-0615-z

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