Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death and disability for women and men worldwide. In 2021, 30% of deaths in women and 27% of deaths in men were attributable to CVD with worsening trends in regions of socioeconomic deprivation. In the past decades, it has become clear that there are clinically relevant sex and gender differences in several aspects of CVD from disease aetiology and diagnosis, to treatment, therapeutic response and prognosis.1 Several international initiatives have increased the awareness of sex differences in CVD and gender-related differences in care.2 Yet, translation to health policy and clinical guidelines has been limited in part due to the paucity of high-quality studies to inform such recommendations. Knowledge gaps are particularly evident in female-specific and female-predominant CVDs.

The British Cardiovascular Society’s (BCS) affiliated societies have published a consensus statement that outlines the current state of knowledge on sex and gender differences across the spectrum of CVD and proposes strategies to overcome barriers in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of CVD in women. Bringing together different affiliated societies within the BCS on the topic of sex and gender differences in CVD is a much-needed contribution given the multifaceted nature of CVD and the wide variety of interventions needed to reduce inequities in CVD. Key recommendations from multiple societies included the continued need to raise awareness of CVD in women including the role of sex-specific risk factors and the need for better-quality studies to unravel potential sex and gender differences in disease mechanisms, disease presentation, healthcare access and response to treatment. The societies also highlighted …