There are sex and gender gaps in heart and brain health, according to a new study from the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The February 2023 report explores the existing gaps in research in relation to women's stroke and cardiovascular health.
The findings show women have a greater chance of dying after they've had a heart attack than men.
“We simply do not know how to treat forms of cardiovascular disease that are more common in women,” said Dr. Husam Abdel-Qadir, Women’s Heart and Brain Health Chair at Toronto's Women’s College Hospital, in a press release.
Heart disease and stroke claimed the lives of 32,271 women in Canada in 2019.
"That's one woman's life every 16 minutes," the report said.
The risk of cardiovascular disease increases for women in lower socioeconomic statuses, and marginalized women. This is because of the mental and physical stresses of accessible and affordable housing, education, child care and general well-being.
“The stress related to living on or at the poverty line has a huge impact on women’s health,” said Dr. Inderveer Mahal, a family physician who works with women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Intergenerational trauma is also a factor.
The report found that Indigenous people are "more likely to be at risk or currently living with heart disease and stroke" than non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. The lack of accessible health care and discrimination that Indigenous people can experience often results in a lesser likelihood of them seeking care, the report said.
Similarly, people in remote areas are also at greater risk than their urban counterparts because of the lack of access to health-care facilities and having to travel long distances for medical attention.
“Transforming the state of women’s heart and brain health will involve changing policies, systems, attitudes and behaviours. It will take a massive collaborative effort to break down the barriers that create inequities,” said Doug Roth, the foundation's CEO.
