Coronary artery disease, known in layman language as heart attack, is the leading cause of death in the world. Accounting for a million deaths annually, the condition is caused by fatty deposits on the artery walls, restricting blood flow to the heart. While the condition is not reversible, it is manageable, and even preventable, provided one starts taking care of their health early. Even though statistically, men are more likely to get heart attacks at a younger age than women, the latter develops greater risk after they hit menopause… Let’s dive deeper…
Lifestyle and heart disease
The effects of blood pressure, diet, exercise, smoking etc on heart disease risk is well-known. However, recent studies suggest that these risk factors may have a more significant impact on women’s heart health compared to men’s.
New findings, set to be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25) in Chicago, highlight the importance of considering gender differences during cardiovascular testing.
Heart health vis-à-vis genders
Understanding these sex-based differences in heart disease risk factors may also help doctors come up with a gender specific plan on heart health for men and women. Although the research has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, it explains the potential benefits of tailoring heart health strategies based on gender.
Do women have a higher risk of heart disease?
The research was carried out on 175,000 adults, with females making up 60% of the group. At the beginning of the study, none of the individuals had any history of heart disease, and the study took into account factors like body mass index (BMI) blood pressure, diet, physical activity, sleep, smoking status, blood glucose, and lipid levels. Based on these levels, researchers created an overall health profile.
Regarding specific risk factors, women were more likely than men to have optimal levels of diet, blood glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure. However, they were slightly less likely to achieve ideal levels of physical activity. This highlights a mixed picture where women generally exhibit healthier profiles in certain cardiovascular risk factors but may struggle with maintaining adequate physical activity.
Higher risk for women
The study, which lasted 11 years, found out that despite often having better overall health metrics, women who accumulate similar negative risk factors face a significantly higher risk of severe cardiovascular events compared to men with comparable risk profiles. This difference highlights the importance of understanding sex-specific differences in cardiovascular risk factors. Women are more likely to experience adverse effects from certain risk factors, such as diabetes and hypertension, which can lead to increased mortality rates and poorer cardiovascular outcomes compared to men. Additionally, factors like menopause, pregnancy-related conditions, and psychosocial stressors further contribute to the heightened cardiovascular risk in women.
Is menopause a culprit?
Daniel Atkinson, MD, clinical lead at Treated, suggested a few reasons behind the same. Though Atkinson wasn’t involved in the study, he added, “It’s not fully understood why this is the case, but some research has suggested it might be because of physiological differences between men and women”. He added, Outdated approaches to managing heart disease in women might also be contributing to the issue because, as the study points out, screenings are rarely gender specific.”
This apart, Rohit Vuppuluri, DO, an interventional and vascular cardiologist at Chicago Heart & Vascular Specialists added, “After menopause, (occuring at roughly 55 years of age), women can have [a] greater risk of cardiovascular disease, and close monitoring of risk factors should occur for women as they become older.”
