Women’s health in Serbia - past, present, and future

Abstract

Cardiovascular and reproductive health of women have been going hand in hand since the dawn of time, however, their links have been poorly studied and once the basis of their connections started to be established in late 20th century, it depended on local regional abilities and the level of progressive thinking to afford comprehensive women?s care beyond the ?bikini medicine?. Further research identified different associations rendering more conditions sex-specific and launching therefore a slow, yet initial turn around in clinical trials? concept as the majority of global cardiovascular guidelines rely on the results of research conducted on a very modest percentage of women and even less on the women of color. Currently, the concept of women?s heart centers varies depending on the local demographics? guided needs, available logistics driven by budgeting and societal support of a broad-minded thinking environment, free of bias for everyone: from young adults questioning their gender identity, via women of reproductive age both struggling to conceive or keep working part time when healthy and line of work permits it during pregnancy, up to aging and the elderly. Using ?Investigate-Educate-Advocate-Legislate? as the four pillars of advancing cardiovascular care of women, we aimed to summarize standing of women?s health in Serbia, present ongoing projects and propose actionable solutions for the future.

Real-world data of cardiotoxicity during long-term therapy with trastuzumab in human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-positive metastatic breast cancer

“…In addition, future trials for new targeting HER2 should focus on cardiotoxicity as they represent a new standard in subsequent treatment settings. Women's Heart Centers are globally adopted follow-up solution and can offer comprehensive care for women cancer survivors [22].…”

Physicians are humans and replaceable - the current millennium approach

“…Standing on the shoulders of so many generations of healthcare workers in Serbia and worldwide and what their experience taught us over the past 150 years in Serbia [1,2,3], we embark on this year's adventures with nonetheless zeal. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and its changing Serbia's health sector landscape since the early 2020, each new year brings new surprises [4,5,6].…”

“…Not only our doctors, but our nurses and all allied healthcare professions that our healthcare system is based on. The merciless first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic took lives of so many of them in a devastating way [5,7].…”

Ponte Miocárdica: Amiga, Inimiga ou Ambas?

“…Finalmente, como as disparidades de sexo nos cuidados continuam sendo a maldição da cardiologia em todo o mundo e a atual falta de diferenças de sexo em relatórios de PMs onde os homens dominam, a questão lógica parece ser se isso se deve à tradicional falta de inclusão de mulheres como pacientes em ensaios e registros que continuaram apesar da pandemia de SARS-CoV2,46,47 45 ou é realmente uma questão de puro golpe de sorte genético que as mulheres sejam, de fato, menos afetadas. Com o objetivo de mitigar esse papel do destino e como o conceito de centros cardíacos para mulheres foi promovido globalmente, 46 , 47 o grupo sérvio 48 tem uma clínica dedicada – dentro de seu programa de coração para mulheres – para mulheres diagnosticadas com PM, entre outras anomalias da artéria coronária que endossam outras atividades de defesa do Centro do Coração Feminino “Dr. Nanette Kass Wenger” e ajudam a construir registros internacionais com o objetivo de preencher a lacuna do sexo – disparidades nos cuidados cardiovasculares.…”