The Future of Women and Heart Disease in a Pandemic Era: Let’s Learn from the Past

When the pandemic started in February, about 5 million women were running businesses. Just 2 months later, 25% of those businesses closed. Approximately 2.5 million women have lost their jobs or dropped out of the workforce since the pandemic, but that is just the start of the impact on women. Women have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, as the brunt of homelife has fallen on them, and the psychosocial impact will inevitably have a physical impact. The pandemic has revealed the gender inequality that exists from the socioeconomic perspective, but soon we will see the impact from the medical perspective. Predictably, we know that the impact of stress and lack of self-care that women have had to endure heightens heart disease, already the number one killer of all women. Heart disease is 80% preventable based on the major risk factors: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, elevated sugar, obesity, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, and poor diet. But the psychological risk factors drive up biomarkers and the root causes of manifesting disease. Historically, women have been less diagnosed and treated, and less likely to receive lifesaving care in a timely fashion. The pandemic is sure to amplify these issues. Without mitigation and prevention, women’s hearts will suffer. We need to be aware of this now to prepare for the future potential of a significant increase in the incidence of women and heart disease.