New Delhi, May 12, 2025 – India’s top cardiologists and health experts raised urgent red flags today over the escalating crisis of obesity and heart failure in women, calling for immediate structural changes in how the country approaches prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The platform for this conversation was the National Conference on Obesity and Heart Failure in Women, held in New Delhi, which also saw the felicitation of 400 women doctors for their outstanding contributions to healthcare marking a historic moment for the medical fraternity.
The conference was inaugurated by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi Ms. Rekha Gupta and Hon’ble Health Minister Dr. Pankaj Kumar Singh, and hosted by IMA NDB, in collaboration with AACIO, ISCU, WHA, and the Healthy Heart Society, with academic support from IPCA Laboratories.
The expert inputs from the gathered will be compiled into a National Consensus on Obesity and Heart Failure in Women, to be published in the Journal of the Association of Physicians of India (JAPI). This consensus aims to drive evidence-based, gender-specific reforms in cardiac care for women across India and beyond.
The event also marked the release of the IMA NDB Innovation Year Book 2025, highlighting pioneering work in cardiometabolic health and showcasing new frameworks for preventive and therapeutic interventions.
“Obesity is not just a cosmetic or lifestyle issue it has become the most under-recognized cardiovascular risk factor in women,” said Dr. H.K. Chopra, National Organising Chairman and Chief Scientific Advisor, IMA NDB, “Over 41% of Indian women are obese, and this isn’t just excess weight—it’s a precursor to heart failure, stroke, and sudden cardiac death. Visceral fat, especially in women, triggers hormonal and inflammatory changes that are often invisible in early stages. We need diagnostics and therapies built around women—not retrofitted from male models.”
“More women are entering cath labs with advanced cardiac dysfunction driven by obesity but often without classic symptoms,” said Dr. Viveka Kumar, Vice Chairman & Chief of Cath Labs (Pan Max), Cardiac Sciences, “Women are more likely to develop heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a condition obesity accelerates. The challenge is that these women rarely show textbook signs, leading to under-diagnosis. We need new clinical pathways and earlier community screening programs tailored to women’s symptom profiles.”
“Obesity alters both the mechanical and electrical function of the heart and in women, this creates a perfect storm for arrhythmias,” said Dr. Vanita Arora, India’s first female electrophysiologist and senior heart rhythm expert, “Obese women are significantly more prone to atrial fibrillation and other rhythm disorders, especially during hormonal transitions. Yet current protocols overlook the need for preventive electrophysiological screening in women. Gender-specific risk profiling must become standard clinical practice.”
“Heart failure in women continues to be under-prioritized because of male-centric evidence,” said Dr. J. P. S. Sawhney, Chairman, Department of Cardiology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, “Most heart failure guidelines are based on studies with less than 25% female representation. As a result, many women receive delayed or suboptimal care. This is not just a clinical gap it is a systemic one. India must lead the way in reshaping heart failure education, trials, and treatment through a gender-responsive lens
