Shaping the Future for women with Heart Valve Disease

Shaping the Future for women
with Heart Valve Disease

“Shaping the Future for Women with Heart Valve Disease” is a global consensus report that highlights the urgent and unmet needs of women living with heart valve disease (HVD), a growing yet under-recognised cardiovascular condition.

Developed through a collaborative process involving 22 experts from 13 countries, including patients, patient advocates, clinicians, researchers, and industry representatives, this report offers 6 clear and actionable strategies to improve awareness, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of HVD in women.

Women have advocated for equal rights and opportunities in all aspects of life. Despite progress, women continue to face significant challenges in accessing high-quality and equitable cardiovascular healthcare.

Heart valve disease (HVD) is a common health condition worldwide, being recognised as the next cardiac epidemic, in part related to the increasing ageing population, yet the disease remains largely misunderstood, with symptoms frequently under-recognised or dismissed.

The report, titled Shaping the Future for Women with Heart Valve Disease, sheds light on the biological and sociocultural barriers that impact women’s experiences across their lifespan and care journey, often leading to delayed diagnoses and suboptimal outcomes.

CALL TO ACTION

The report proposes six clear and actionable strategies to drive change:

Actively include women in HVD research.
Create tailored educational materials about HVD for women and their communities.
Equip healthcare professionals with targeted training on how HVD presents and progresses in women.
Implement screening campaigns for high-risk female populations.
Improve access to detection and diagnostic technologies, particularly in underserved regions.
Promote ongoing, person-centred care and support for women with HVD.

With practical recommendations for stakeholders at every level, from patients and healthcare professionals to policymakers and industry partners, the report serves as both a roadmap and a wake-up call for action. It calls for urgent, coordinated action to correct systemic inequities and improve outcomes for women with HVD globally.

The impact of these coordinated efforts can reduce healthcare costs through effective preventive actions, lower morbidity and mortality rates, and guide future investments and policies to promote early detection, diagnosis, and access to treatment, as well as healthier and better lives for women with HVD worldwide.

Read the Report

SHAPING THE FUTURE

The future of women with HVD is being built on this international and multidisciplinary collaboration that brings together patients, patient organisations, healthcare professionals, researchers, and industry partners. This collective effort, based on global data, expertise, and passion, creates the right momentum to address this condition in women and face the challenges according to global and local situations.