Study Title: HER-CROWN Study

Re-examining HER Cardiovascular Risks – the Ottawa WomeN’s longitudinal pilot study 

OHSN-REB # 20220586-01H

ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT05632601

Every day, health professionals rely on routine calculators to estimate patients’ future risk of heart attack and stroke. While these calculators are a great step toward identifying and treating risk factors, they tend to underestimate cardiovascular risk in women. This happens because the past research studies that led to creating and validating these calculators included mostly men. Also, current cardiovascular risk calculators do not consider risk factors that are unique to women, more common in women, or affect women more strongly than men. For this reason, it is important that new studies focused on women are conducted, allowing scientists to better understand the progression of disease in women and create improved, sex-specific cardiovascular risk calculators.   

We are conducting a pilot study to determine whether a proposed future, larger-scale study is doable. Our goal is to recruit 210 women, half with a cardiovascular risk factor that is unique to or more common in women (ie. preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, systemic lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, early menopause), and half who do not have a sex-specific risk factor. Study procedures include questionnaires, bloodwork and various measures of arterial health and stiffness. 

If successful, this project will transform the way healthcare professionals assess and treat a women’s cardiovascular risk, which will positively impact women’s health everywhere.

We are actively recruiting for the HER-CROWN study. Please contact the Research Coordinator to learn more.

her-crown@ottawaheart.ca

613-696-7000 ext. 15009