Cardiovascular disease remains the single largest threat to human life in the United States, claiming more than 900,000 lives annually — a staggering rate of one person every 34 seconds. For most families, these aren't abstract figures; they represent personal, painful loss.
In the battle against this crisis, there is some good news: The World Heart Federation estimates that 80 percent of cardiovascular disease cases are preventable — and possibly even 90 percent. A great deal of research is going into efforts to detect and treat cardiac problems before they escalate. But those efforts have all too often neglected half the population.
If you feel like the medical system wasn't built for women, you aren't imagining it. That's especially true when it comes to cardiac care. For decades, heart disease was viewed primarily as a male issue, meaning women were underrepresented in pivotal research and clinical trials.
Because the male body became the default medical standard, we've got a massive data gap — leaving women’s cardiac health understudied and underserved.
That gap persists today: A recent report in the American Journal of Managed Care explained, "Due to the misconception that heart disease was a predominantly male condition, treatments and developments lack understanding of how heart disease impacts women differently." In other words, because the male body became the default medical standard, we've got a massive data gap — leaving women’s cardiac health understudied and underserved.
Chest pain is the most common heart attack symptom in both women and men. But women are more likely than men to experience a constellation of other symptoms, like pain radiating from the neck, jaw, shoulder, upper back, or stomach. They’re also more likely to experience nausea or unusual fatigue. Not knowing this, some women write off their own symptoms. Worse, doctors do the same, falling into the trap of misdiagnosing women with ”anxiety.” Or women are told they’re simply “out of shape” or experiencing stress and exhaustion, experts told the American Journal of Managed Care.
This leaves women facing a frustrating reality: We have to advocate fiercely for our own lives. If you feel a change in your body, don't write it off — and don't let your doctor do the same. We must insist on comprehensive workups and seek out proactive clinicians who recognize how heart disease presents in women. Never apologize for demanding the thorough care your life depends on.
The increasing risks of heart disease
About 54 percent of men and 44 percent of women ages 20 and older had some form of cardiovascular disease (including high blood pressure) in 2021-2023, according to the American Heart Association. But among people with heart disease, women are significantly more likely to die from it.
The reasons for that are not fully known, doctors say. Some factors are physical — heart disease can develop and present differently in women. But the gaps in research, diagnosis, and treatment exacerbate the problem.
Now, the risks are growing for younger women. “Recent research has suggested that nearly one-third of all women ages 20 to 44 will have heart disease in 2050, up from one-fourth today,” the New York Times reports. “And women under 55 are more likely to die from heart attacks than men under 55.”
To truly improve women’s health, we don't just need more consumer gadgets; we need tools with proven efficacy that give patients and physicians the reliable, actionable insights required to make life-saving decisions.
One reason for those projections is that “some of the drivers — including obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes — have become increasingly common at younger ages,” the Times notes. “These risk factors apply to everyone, but research has shown that some have a greater effect on women.”
The Society for Women’s Health Research, the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, and the Women First Research Coalition recently came together to propose a 10-year, $20 billion federal investment aimed at closing the women’s health gap. It could help advance research and treatments. I also know from experience that part of the solution lies in my sector: health tech.
Designing solutions for women
Breakthrough health technologies are entering the market every day, but very few are engineered with women in mind — and even fewer deliver actual clinical impact. There's a vast difference between a wellness tracker and a clinically validated diagnostic tool. To truly improve women’s health, we don't just need more consumer gadgets; we need tools with proven efficacy that give patients and physicians the reliable, actionable insights required to make life-saving decisions.
For example, one of the challenges facing women’s cardiac care is that healthcare workers, particularly men, all too often fail to place an electrocardiogram (EKG) correctly onto a woman’s chest. This was even depicted in the popular TV show The Pitt: Lead character Dr. Michael Rabinovitch (“Dr. Robby”) yelled at two EMTs, asking, “What were you afraid of? Her bra?”
Training can help avoid this — so can better designed devices. My team worked for years to create a new, FDA-cleared EKG that requires only five electrodes, rather than 10; only two go on the chest. When this type is used, women no longer need to fully disrobe from the waist up for routine EKGs, and concerns about emergency placements can be decreased. It’s just one way the growing health tech sector can use AI to help tackle healthcare disparities.
Women’s healthcare issues have been overlooked for far too long, a dangerous pattern highlighted in the forthcoming documentary HORMONAL! But the tide is turning. When women sit at the head of the table in medicine, engineering, and artificial intelligence, the questions we ask change, and the solutions we build become more inclusive.
Closing this health gap isn't just about better data or smarter devices; it’s about rewriting the baseline of care, so every woman gets the life-saving attention she deserves.
Priya Abani is CEO of AliveCor, a health tech company at the forefront of AI in cardiology. With more than two decades of tech leadership — including executive roles at Amazon and Intel — she is dedicated to democratizing heart health, closing dangerous disparities in women’s care, and saving lives.
