AJPM Focus · Nov 2026
Risk factors associated with premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases in women: A scoping review
By Kalmogho AJ, Stephan Y, Illner AK et al.
Background Premature mortality represents a major public health challenge and remains largely underestimated in women. Despite facing sex-specific risk factors that confer a disproportionately higher cardiovascular burden, women remain systematically underrepresented in studies and insufficiently considered in clinical practice. This review aims to identify risk factors associated with premature mortality from cardiovascular disease in women, to inform clinical practitioners and guide future research and prevention strategies. Methods This study was conducted in accordance with the methodological framework of the Joanna Briggs Institute and reported following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A systematic search was performed on November 2025, across the Medline (PubMed), The Cochrane Library, Embase, and CINAHL databases, supplemented by manual search. Studies were eligible if they met the following criteria: (1) adult female population (≥18 years, with at least 50% women); (2) outcome of interest: increased cardiovascular mortality; (3) exposure: any modifiable or non-modifiable risk factor; (4) publication period: 2015-2025, in English or French. Study selection and data extraction were carried out independently by two reviewers. Results Among 12,977 records identified, 8 studies were included (5 cohort studies and 3 systematic reviews with meta-analyses). One study was conducted in North America, 2 in Asia and 5 in Europe. Ten risk factors were identified and classified into four domains: (1) sex-specific factors (4 studies): early and late age at menarche, early menopause; (2) healthcare disparities (1 study): lower use of treatments in women; (3) cardiometabolic comorbidities (2 studies): metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and obesity; (4) modifiable behavioral factors (2 studies): low physical activity, tobacco consumption, and alcohol consumption. Conclusions Few studies directly explore premature death by CVDs in women. Women still underrepresented in the literature, an overrepresentation of high-income countries, and limited analyses of interactions and subgroups, underscoring the need for further targeted research.