Vascular medicine in the 21st century:Embracing comprehensive vasculature evaluation and multidisciplinary treatment

The field of vascular medicine has undergone a profound transformation in the 21st century,transforming our approach to assessment and treatment.Athero-sclerosis,a complex inflammatory disease that affects medium and large arteries,presents a major challenge for researchers and healthcare professionals.This condition,characterized by arterial plaque formation and narrowing,poses sub-stantial challenges to vascular health at individual,national,and global scales.Its repercussions are far-reaching,with clinical outcomes including ischemic heart disease,ischemic stroke,and peripheral arterial disease—conditions with esca-lating global prevalence.Early detection of vascular changes caused by athero-sclerosis is crucial in preventing these conditions,reducing morbidity,and averting mortality.This article underscored the imperative of adopting a holistic approach to grappling with the intricacies,trajectories,and ramifications of atherosclerosis.It stresses the need for a thorough evaluation of the vasculature and the implementation of a multidisciplinary treatment approach.By consi-dering the entire vascular system,healthcare providers can explore avenues for prevention,early detection,and effective management of this condition,ultima-tely leading to improved patient outcomes.We discussed current practices and proposed new directions made possible by emerging diagnostic modalities and treatment strategies.Additionally,we considered healthcare expenditure,resour-ce allocation,and the transformative potential of new innovative treatments and technologies.

Gender medicine:Lessons from COVID-19 and other medical conditions for designing health policy

Gender-specific differences in the prevalence,incidence,comorbidities,prognosis,severity,risk factors,drug-related aspects and outcomes of various medical conditions are well documented.We present a literature review on the extent to which research in this field has developed over the years,and reveal gaps in gender-sensitive awareness between the clinical portrayal and the translation into gender-specific treatment regimens,guidelines and into gender-oriented preventive strategies and health policies.Subsequently,through the lens of gender,we describe these domains in detail for four selected medical conditions:Asthma,obesity and overweight,chronic kidney disease and coronavirus disease 2019.As some of the key gender differences become more apparent during adolescence,we focus on this developmental stage.Finally,we propose a model which is based on three influential issues:(1)Investigating gender-specific medical profiles of related health conditions,rather than a single disease;(2)The dynamics of gender disparities across developmental stages;and(3)An integrative approach which takes into account additional risk factors(ethnicity,socio-demographic variables,minorities,lifestyle habits etc.).Increasing the awareness of gender-specific medicine in daily practice and in tailored guidelines,already among adolescents,may reduce inequities,facilitate the prediction of future trends and properly address the characteristics and needs of certain subpopulations within each gender.