Cardiovascular Disease in Women

American Heart Association launched the Go Red for Women (GoRedForWomen.org)campaign in 2004 to increase awareness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women.A similar campaign called "Red Dress" has been sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the Department of Health and Human Services.In the last five years, important strides have been made in raising awareness of the burden of CVD in women, yet fundamental gaps exist in our knowledge of the underlying biology, clinical presentation, and optimal treatment strategies of CVD in women.Younger women (20 to 39 years) tend to be protected from coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and hypertension (Figure ), yet CVD is more prevalent in older women relative to age-matched men (greater than 80 years).These differences appear to be attributable, in part, to the influence of sex hormones on the vasculature, platelets, and the expression of coagulation proteins.