EMJ GOLD: Pharma news, views and analysis Precision Cardiology for Women: What the Data Really Says
Mar 19, 2026
Leslie Cho, a cardiology expert on sex-specific heart disease and microvascular dysfunction, discusses why cardiovascular data often fails women. She covers trial design flaws, exclusion of childbearing-age women, symptom bias in care, and the prevalence and underdiagnosis of microvascular disease. Tests like cardiac PET and MRI and access challenges are also explored.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Trial Design Determines Women's Participation
- Women often participate in trials when studies are designed to include them.
- TAVR and small-annulus trials recruited 60–88% women because eligibility matched women's clinical profiles and age ranges.
TAVR Trials Had High Female Enrollment
- TAVR and small-annulus trials can be heavily female because their conditions align with older women.
- Cho cites small annular trials with up to 88% women and TAVR trials with 60–70% women as examples.
Include Childbearing Age Women In Trials
- Do not exclude women of childbearing age by default from trial eligibility.
- Include consentable younger women and adjust trial design and age cutoffs so they can participate safely.