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Bridging the sex disparity in cardiovascular disease: getting to the heart of the matter
Over 2 million Australian women live with cardiovascular disease (CVD) with 1 woman dying of it every 24 mins. Women have worse outcomes post CV events and more likely to experience a subsequent heart attack. Sex-specific risk factors and how CVD develops in women is under explored, resulting in poor screening and treatment. My research will screen for asymptomatic CVD by assessing abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in bone density images. AAC, an early marker of advanced vascular disease, strongly predicts future risk of CVD events.
Through large, well-powered epidemiology I will explore how AAC develops and progresses by sex and predisposes to clinical CVD (>100,000 people); determine sex-specific risk factors for AAC; and explore the asymptomatic to clinical CVD transition. My research will build knowledge on CVD pathophysiology and may transform how we screen and prevent CVD. It will contribute to the health of the wider community such as informing position statements, clinical practice, clinical trials and identify new druggable targets to prevent CVD.
Last updated12 March 2024