Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Diseases and Awareness of Related Burden in Women: Results of a Survey in Italian Pharmacies

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INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for women worldwide, yet they are often unaware of this heavy burden. AIM: To assess cardiovascular risk awareness among Italian women. METHODS: Following World Heart Day 2023, a cardiovascular prevention campaign was conducted in Italian pharmacies to evaluate the effectiveness of screening activities offered by pharmacies and raise awareness of cardiovascular health status among Italian women. Cardiovascular risk profile and perception of CVD burden relative to other common female-specific diseases were assessed. Blood pressure (BP) measurement and ECG recording were performed. RESULTS: A total of 1510 women (84.7% < 70 years), enrolled at 91 pharmacies, were included. The most prevalent cardiovascular risk factor was sedentary lifestyle (57.9%), followed by overweight/obesity (44.3%), hypercholesterolemia (37.9%), hypertension (31.3%), family history of early CVD (28.7%), smoking (20.6%), and diabetes (5%). CVD and/or kidney disease were uncommon (3.6%), but 1 in 4 women was classified as being at increased cardiovascular risk, and 47.5% had some type of ECG abnormalities, requiring further assessments in 18% cases. Less than 1 in 3 women was aware of the burden represented by CVD, being the majority mostly concerned with breast cancer and osteoporosis as potential health threats. CONCLUSIONS: The burden of cardiovascular risk factors is high, and the perception of related health threat is low among the examined sample of Italian women, supporting the urgent need to raise awareness of CVD in women as a major health issue and to undertake effective, tailored preventive strategies to reduce such risk in a timely fashion.

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