Global Heart Hub has released insights from its latest patient-led qualitative research study exploring women’s experiences with cardiovascular disease.
The findings reveal that women are slow to seek medical help and there are ongoing gaps in the recognition and diagnosis of heart disease in women despite it remaining the leading cause of death among women globally.
The study, IPEC2—Insights & Patient Experiences with Cardiovascular Disease—collected patient experience data from women across eight countries and includes women with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), elevated LP(a), heart valve disease and cardiomyopathy.
The research explored women’s experiences of heart disease; their awareness and recognition of cardiovascular symptoms; barriers across the care pathway and assessed the burden of managing heart disease on women’s lives. The Global Heart Hub study is guided by both an independent Steering Committee and Review Committee. The committees are comprised of people with lived experience, patient organisation leaders and international clinical experts.
IPEC2 preliminary findings were presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s Association of Cardiovascular Nursing & Allied Professions (ACNAP) congress 2026 (12–13 June, Sofia Antipolis, France) focusing on women with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol who were hospitalised at least once for a cardiac event (heart attack, stroke, or unstable angina). Uncontrolled elevated LDL cholesterol is a primary driver of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), the leading cause of death in women across the world. The IPEC2 preliminary findings included women aged 18 years or older in the USA, Canada, China and Italy.
“We now have incredible therapies to deal with high LDL-C ‘bad cholesterol’. However, the study findings highlight that women may not receive a timely diagnosis and, therefore, cannot access any treatment. The reasons are due to delays in women seeking care, frequently putting others (family) before their own health. In addition, the findings describe delays in diagnosis due to under-recognition of symptoms, life factors and clinician bias. This means that women continue to be treated later in the disease progression, sometimes at the point of their life-threatening cardiac event, which often diminishes their opportunity for better outcomes,” says Vijay Kunadian (Newcastle University & Newcastle Hospitals, Newcastle, UK), a member of IPEC2’s Steering Committee.
The preliminary findings reveal that women across every focus group experienced perceived bias in their healthcare journey, sharing their perceptions of times in their diagnosis and treatment journey where others indicated they were “too young” or “not the type” for cardiovascular disease. The gender bias in diagnosis is also evident, with women reporting that their cardiovascular disease symptoms were commonly misdiagnosed as other non-cardiac conditions, most frequently anxiety. Women described a broad and varied range of cardiovascular symptoms, including symptoms beyond those reported in guidelines. These findings highlight the need for improved symptom recognition and patient education to support earlier identification and more equitable, patient-centred care across cardiovascular settings.
“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women, and the IPEC2 findings confirm that women continue to experience late, missed or misdiagnosed heart disease, often compounded by fragmented care. Women often experience symptoms that differ from those traditionally described in men, yet these are frequently not recognised as cardiac. We need to think ‘heart first’ for every woman, everywhere,” says Neil Johnson, executive director, Global Heart Hub.
