Sex-Related Bias in Preclinical Research and Its Contribution to Cardiovascular Health Disparities Between Women and Men

CardiovascularCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortalityMortality forWomen women globally. Unfortunately, many women living with chronicChronic and non-curable CVD are consistently underdiagnosed and undertreated compared to menMen. Therefore, we must fill various knowledge gaps to improve awareness, diagnosisDiagnosis, and treatmentTreatment of CVD in women. SexSex and genderGender significantly impact all areas of women’s healthHealth, including their CVD outcomesOutcomes, and their relevance in researchResearch and medical attention is just beginning to be fully recognized. Although clinicalClinical and preclinicalPreclinical studies have evidenced that sexual dimorphismsDimorphism exist from cardiacCardiac myocytes to the entire heartHeart in health and disease, sex is a frequently ignored variableVariable in basic and preclinical research introducing biasBias into biological function, disease processes, and translational findings. In addition, preclinical research studies and clinical trials developed with a limited representation of the female sex still advise most drug therapiesTherapies and surgical practices. Improving our understanding of sex differencesDifferences in preclinical cardiac models is critical for effectively treating patients of both sexes suffering from CVD and reducing premature mortalityMortality. Furthermore, it brings us closer to our goal for worldwide Good Health by promoting efficient healthcareHealthcare for everyone.