Women’s heart health: bridging traditional risk factors and social determinants at every age

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women worldwide, yet it continues to be under-recognized, under-diagnosed, and underresearched (1, 2).The cross-sectional study by Mirsaydullayev and Mamasaliev (3), conducted in Namangan, Uzbekistan, provides a compelling picture of how cardiometabolic, behavioral, and socio-psychosocial factors influence ischemic heart disease (IHD) risk among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) (1, 2).The authors present data, which are especially interesting for readers from the other corner of the world.This was an ethnically very homogeneous population (99.8% Uzbek), what may serve as a comparator for other studies with different (and more mixed) ethnicities.Also, most women were married, had intermediatelevel education, mostly "physical" work, and satisfactory living conditions.All this makes us think about the structures of societies and their influence on cardiovascular disease, or the social determinants of disease-a "hot topic" nowadays.