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Gender-Related Differences in Atherosclerosis

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Abstract

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Considerable research has been done over the last several decades to understand the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. It is widely believed that estrogen is responsible for the protection of women from CVD in the premenopausal age group. However, hormone replacement therapy has failed to decrease CVD events in clinical studies which points to the complexity of the relationship between vascular biology and estrogen hormones. Interestingly, preponderance of vascular and connective tissue disorders in women also points to an inherent role of hormones and tissue factors in maintenance of vascular endothelial function. The differential effect of GPER, lipoprotein A, TLRs, leucocyte-platelet aggregate markers in men and women also suggests inherent gender-related differences in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. A better understanding of the pathophysiology is likely to open ways to improve evidence-based treatment of CVD in women.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, 4301 West Markham St., Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA

    Pankaj Mathur & Jawahar L. Mehta

  2. Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic

    Bohuslav Ostadal

  3. University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy

    Francesco Romeo

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  1. Pankaj Mathur
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Mathur, P., Ostadal, B., Romeo, F. et al. Gender-Related Differences in Atherosclerosis. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther 29, 319–327 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10557-015-6596-3

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