Focused Cardiovascular Risk Assessment and Approaches in Men

Sex and gender have wide sweeping effects on many aspects of cardiovascular health, and special considerations should be taken when determining the cardiovascular risk in men. Compared to women, men have different clinical presentations, present earlier with major adverse cardiovascular events, and have higher cardiovascular mortality rates. Some of these sex differences can be influenced by the role of testosterone due to its role in foam cell formation in atherosclerosis. Other risk factors that are unique to men are associated with and may contribute to this disparity, such as higher rates of tobacco and alcohol abuse, erectile dysfunction, testosterone replacement therapy, and anabolic steroid abuse. Cardiovascular risk assessment should be individualized to men and risk factors unique to men should be considered.