Valvular Heart Diseases in Women: Where Are We Now?

Valvular heart diseases (VHDs) pose significant challenges to cardiovascular health globally, contributing substantially to morbidity and mortality. Despite advancements in therapeutic strategies, women frequently face delayed diagnoses, surgical referrals, and encounter poorer postoperative results compared to men. This inequity stems from historical biases where women were underrepresented in pivotal studies shaping current medical guidelines. However, emergent research focuses more frequently on women, highlighting remarkably sex-differences in VHD etiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Acknowledging and addressing these differences is required for fair healthcare and optimized clinical outcomes for both sexes in the current era. Hence, this review proposes to highlight the implications of sex-differences concerning diagnosis, treatment modalities, and outcomes among patients affected by VHDs.