Cardiovascular disease is no longer a male preserve. men. With over 75,000 deaths a year in France, they are the leading cause of death among women, a fact that is still too little known. The warning signs differ from those for men, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Yet women die 6 times more from cardiovascular disease than from breast cancer. They are insufficiently screened and monitored, despite the fact that their hormonal lives require sustained attention in three key phases: first contraception or its renewal, pregnancy and menopause..
Since the end of September 2021, "Agir pour le cœur des femmes" has been taking the "Heart Bus" on the road, crisscrossing the regions to screen precarious women as close to home as possible (nurses and other volunteer professionals are welcome!). Because they lack information and access to certain healthcare professionals (cardiologists, gynecologists...), they are generally under-screened, under-treated, inadequately monitored and at very high risk of recurrence and mortality after a 1st cardiac event, we need to go out and meet them.
After its inauguration in Lille, the bus made stops in Marseille, Avignon, La Rochelle and Saint-Etienne. Pore than 1,200 women were screened during these stops.
The Bus du Coeur will continue its route in 2022, with 20 stopover towns.
About the Agir pour le cœur des femmes endowment fund
To raise awareness of the urgent need to combat cardiovascular disease in women, Pr Claire Mounier-Vehier, cardiologist at Lille University Hospital, and Thierry Drilhon, dand Thierry Drilhon, business leader and President of the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce, created the "Agir pour le cœur des femmes" endowment fund, with the aim of saving 10,000 lives over 5 years through 4 priority missions:
- Alert and mobilize all energies to educate women about their cardiovascular health at all "key phases" of their hormonal life: contraception, pregnancy and peri-menopause.
- Accelerate active prevention by giving all women access to cardiovascular screening and care, involving the entire healthcare ecosystem.
- Train, educate and involve all healthcare professionals, giving them the resources they need for effective trans-generational prevention.
- Stimulate and accelerate medical research targeting the specificities of cardiovascular disease in women.