Roche Press Day 2024 takes place in Miami, United States
(Special envoy to Miami) Although there are diseases that are specific to women, there are also pathologies that affect them differently. For this reason, specialists in the health area proposed the need to think about a design of comprehensive health services.
In Latin America near the 30-40% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in the advanced metastatic stage, according to the study A Review of Breast Cancer and Outcomes in Latin América. For this reason, specialists agree on reinforcing preventive care.
“A central policy is needed, gender-specific research and that there is clinical representation. Let the woman’s voice be heard“, he stated Betty Piofrom Vida de Kearney, who emphasized the need to have coverage policies that are comprehensive and not only for cancer but also include containment in the different areas of impact.
Although there are diseases that are inherent to women, there are others that prevail in them. The doctor Flavia Nelson of the University of Miami argued that the multiple sclerosis is prevalent in women and “affects the reproductive age and capacity of women.”
Flavia Nelson, director of the Division of Multiple Sclerosis at the University of Miami; Dr. Melissa Juárez, specialist in medical oncology at CIMCA; and Dr. Carolina Sardi Correa, ophthalmologist at the Antioquia Ophthalmological Clinic.
“There are 2 million people with multiple sclerosis in the world and one million in the US. In the south of Miami there is a lot of migration and many do not have access to health insurance,” he detailed about the problems surrounding people who migrate and feel that they cannot have access to doctors.
“Hispanic woman presents symptoms three years earlier and it will bring a worse prognosis. And treatment can be delayed more than in other people, the cost is very high and as long as we diagnose earlier we can prevent,” he highlighted.
Visual diseases also occur differentially in women. The doctor Carolina Sardi Correa, from the Antioquia Ophthalmology Clinic, warned that “if we think about the sign of vision, we all value it but it is an invisible issue on the public agenda. 4 out of every 100 people have a visual problem, 60% of cases of blindness are women. It is not known how menstruation or menopause, which are inherent aspects of women, impact this.”
This year the event is committed to finding solutions to the gender gap in health
In relation to lung cancerthe doctor specializing in oncology Melissa Juarezfrom CIMCA, maintained that “it is more common in men but it is true that When a woman presents with lung cancer she does not smoke”, an aspect that was considered a relevant indicator to analyze in particular because “patients who do not smoke are almost always younger.”
Regarding how to change reality, Juárez stated that one of the first things is how clinical studies and data collection are carried out. “We do not have visibility about how many women care for people with lung cancer” and “there has to be a feminist focus” in research studies. In addition to this, the need for greater education and prevention was raised.
Véronique Billia leader of LINK powered by Roche
Coincidentally, Véronique Billia of Roche stressed that “there are diseases that impact women differently and diseases that impact their role as caregivers” and that the role of caring for a mother with Alzheimer or a child with a rare disease also has an impact on the overall health of women, which is why “It seems dramatic to me not to have more information about it.”.
In dialogue with Infobae, María Pía Orihuela of Roche Farma Argentina highlighted the existence of diseases that have a greater impact on women. For this reason, Roche works on lines of research around cancer, neurosciences, visual health, cardiometabolic diseases and Alzheimer’s.
“We have been researching Alzheimer’s for some time now and we remain committed to that and we hope to have some treatment in the future that can change what this disease is, which is so hard,” and which also has a greater incidence in women.
María Pía Orihuela from Roche Farma Argentina, general manager of Roche Argentina
On the other hand, the digital transformation in health can be relevant to close gender gaps, doctor Henry Mandettaformer minister of Brazil, remarked that “the main consequence of digitalization are the questions that have to be asked regarding the data. There are complicated problems like making a system to place the connection, but The complex is multisectoral and involves other actors, not only health but also civil society and the women who ask the questions.”.
“Artificial intelligence is a resource for complicated problemsbut complex problems are linked to philosophies and questions. “It is a very important tool for the 21st century and it will be wonderful.”
