The Hungarian Presidency will address gender inequalities in cardiovascular diseases as part of its EU Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Plan, envisioned as a flagship health priority. The Hungarian government wants to use its EU Council presidency to push for the creation of an EU-wide plan on cardiovascular health, with a particular focus on prevention and tackling inequalities, according to a document seen by Euronews. The idea is to create an EU plan with common targets that, together with national plans, would improve the current worrying situation of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the bloc.
A quick internet search on heart attack prevention will often show pictures of a man with his hand over his chest, writhing in pain. While this may correspond to male experience of cardiovascular disease it is not as typical for women, who are more likely to experience breathlessness, nausea and vomiting, and back or jaw pain - less often associated with this condition. This is just the tip of the iceberg of differences between the sexes' experience of cardiovascular disease (CVDs), where gender plays a key role as women suffer more severe outcomes and higher mortality than men, according to the European Society of Cardiology.
CVDs are conditions related to the heart and circulatory system - including stroke, heart failure, hypertension and congenital heart disease. Although mortality from cardiovascular disease is falling in the EU, CVDs remain the chief cause of mortality, accounting .
