Heart failure ( HF) and cardiovascular diseases have reached epidemic levels in Latin America (LATAM), with age-standardized mortality rates on the rise, and disparities seen in women worldwide in terms of diagnosis and treatment are also relevant when it comes to CI in LATAM. According to an article published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure , collaboration between healthcare systems, professional organizations, and government entities, among others, is needed to reduce these inequalities.
Cesar J. Herrera, MD, FACC, et al., write in their call to action that heart failure (HF) in low- and middle-income countries, and especially among women in LATAM, is an issue that is rarely seen. is addressed in the scientific community. Some 335 million women live in the 33 countries that make up LATAM.
The authors write that some characteristics of heart failure (HF) in women in LATAM include a generally younger population, a strong influence of reproductive risk factors, a high prevalence of rheumatic heart disease, Chagas cardiomyopathy and untreated congenital heart diseases, and possibly more reduced ICF than preserved ICF, but more research is needed to fully characterize it.
Relevant social determinants of health include rural residence and related transportation limitations; racial, cultural and religious beliefs; and lower health spending than in developed countries. Furthermore, women in LATAM “constitute an essential axis in family structures as caregivers and providers of economic support, a fact that, unfortunately, has been related to lower rates of use of preventive care and delays in medical care.”
“In summary, the urgent need to address heart failure in LATAM goes beyond understanding how social determinants of health impact women’s well-being; “It should also encompass specific aspects of heart failure potentially unique to the region, including the influence of genetics, specific etiologies, and clinical expressions,” they write.
