The National Observatory on Women's Health, 4th Edition

The latest edition of the ONSF’s *Agir pour le Cœur des Femmes* highlights a sad reality: every year in France, more women than men die from cardiovascular disease.

The reasons for this disparity are well established: risk factors that exist yet are overlooked, gaps in care, and a lack of awareness that still needs to be addressed, among both women and healthcare professionals.

An alarming finding

9 out of 10 women have at least two cardiovascular risk factors

Half also have two gynecological or obstetric risk factors

Nearly two-thirds of women experience cardiovascular warning signs (palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, etc.)

Half also have two gynecological and obstetric risk factors

6 out of 10 women are overweight or obese

1 in 8 women has an ECG abnormality (rhythm or conduction disorder, sequelae of a myocardial infarction, left ventricular hypertrophy, etc.)

4 out of 10 women have abnormalities on Doppler ultrasound of the supra-aortic trunks and/or the abdominal aorta and lower limb arteries (cholesterol plaques or atherosclerotic stenosis)

Care that does not match the risk faced by women

8 out of 10 women do not receive cardiovascular follow-up, even though 36% of them have already had a cardiovascular event

4 out of 10 women do not receive—or no longer receive—gynecological care, and this primarily affects young women under 25 or those over 65.

1 in 3 women who participate in screening require structured cardiovascular or gynecological follow-up

High blood pressure remains severely underdiagnosed in women: 1 in 2 women has high blood pressure, and only 1 in 5 receives treatment.

Socio-psychological factors that increase cardiovascular risk

1 in 5 women reports being a victim of emotional or physical abuse (1 in 4 by 2025) during a confidential consultation with a gynecologist or midwife.

66.2% of women report excessive stress and/or having or having had a treated depression.

Care for women must be comprehensive and not limited solely to biological risk.

The National Observatory on Women’s Health is produced by Agir pour le Cœur des femmes in partnership with the medical and biostatistics teams at Lille University Hospital.

The medical records analyzed pertain to women aged 15 to 85. The median age is 57, with the highest participation rate among women aged 55 to 69—the priority population for screening.

For this population of women at high cardiovascular risk, the “Bus du Coeur des Femmes” and the “Journées du Coeur des Femmes” provide essential opportunities to reduce missed opportunities for disease prevention.

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