The Society for Women’s Health Research Applauds New Guidelines on Preventing Stroke in Women
Nation’s Leader in Women’s Health Encourages Greater Focus on the Different Risk Factors for Each Gender
Washington, D.C. – The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) is the leading voice on research into the biological differences between women and men. SWHR President and CEO Phyllis Greenberger comments on the “Guidelines for the Prevention of Stroke in Women” issued by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association:
“For almost 25 years, the Society for Women’s Health Research has been the national leader in advocating for understanding how diseases and conditions affect women and men differently. We commend the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association for highlighting the risk factors for stroke affects women uniquely. These guidelines will be an important resource for women and medical professionals everywhere, and ultimately, we believe they will help save lives.
But more needs to be done.
For several years, SWHR has actively supported the study of gender differences in cardiovascular disease through scientific research and advocacy. Of particular note, we have funded four pilot projects through the SWHR Interdisciplinary Network on Cardiovascular Disease to study the relationship among cardiovascular health, reproductive health, pregnancy and preeclampsia, which were heavily referenced in the guidelines.
The outcomes of these pilots will help give us an even greater understanding of pregnancy and preeclampsia as risk factors for stroke. We encourage more study on the different risk factors for each gender. SWHR is proud to lead the way in exploring how diseases and conditions affect women more than, or differently from men.”
Additional information:
In 2011, SWHR and WomenHeart published the “10Q Report: Advancing Women’s Heart Health through Improved Research, Diagnosis and Treatment,” which is a call to action to members of Congress, federal agencies, researchers, health care providers and women highlighting the important unanswered questions in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of women with heart disease.
The SWHR Network on Cardiovascular Disease also has issued four peer-reviewed publications, including:
- Strategies and methods to study sex differences in cardiovascular structure and function: a guide for basic scientists
Members of the SWHR Network include leading experts from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Johns Hopkins University, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, McMaster University, Texas Heart Institute, and Medical College of Georgia.