Trending News Today: Women Face Disparities in Cardiovascular Outcomes Compared with Men

Lack of awareness among women regarding the perceived risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes may contribute to disparities in outcomes between men and women, MD Magazine reported. According to the article, results from a meta-analysis of 5 million individuals presented at the American Heart Association 2019 Scientific Sessions found that diabetes is a stronger risk for coronary disease, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality in women than it is in men. The authors noted that women also face discrepancy in both medication adherence and benefits from taking medication, as well as underrepresentation in clinical trials, the article reported.

On Tuesday, the American Medical Association (AMA) called for an immediate ban on all electronic cigarettes and vaping devices, The Associated Press reported. According to the article, the group aims to lobby for state and federal laws, regulations, or legal action to achieve a ban of vaping products. The AMA policy calls for the ban to include all vaping products not approved to help people quit smoking, even though none of these products have been reviewed or approved for smoking cessation by the FDA, the article reported.

The combination therapy nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) missed the main goal of a late-stage trial for skin cancer, Reuters reported. According to the article, the study evaluated nivolumab and ipilimumab compared with nivolumab alone in patients with advanced melanoma. Overall, the combination failed to show a statistically significant benefit in patients whose tumors had a 1% or lower level of the PD-L1 protein being targeted, the article reported.