In the 21st century, cardiovascular disease has become a global cause of
morbidity and a main contributor to mortality in most countries, regardless of the
important actions which have been endorsed for primary and secondary prevention.
Concerning women's cardiovascular mortality, in all age groups it is more frequent and
even greater than it is due to breast cancer. In this chapter, the stages of atherogenesis,
the factors that induce atherogenesis (environmental and genetic), the effects of
estrogens on the stages of atherogenesis, and finally, the effects of estrogens on those
components will be analyzed.
Keywords: Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism, Atherogenesis, Cholesterol,
Cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene polymorphism, Estrogens, Estrogen
receptor gene polymorphisms, Familial hypercholeste-rolemia, Sitosterolemia.
