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Women are 20% more likely to die within five years of their first heart attack than men, study finds
- Canadian researchers studied 45,064 patients hospitalized after heart attack
- They followed each subject for an average of about six years after the event
- The team found that women were generally treated less than men
- This includes fewer surgeries, specialist consultations and written prescriptions
Women are 20% more likely to die in the first five years after their first heart attack than men, a study found.
Researchers in Canada studied 45,064 patients from Canada who had been hospitalized after their first heart attack, monitoring them each for about six years.
The team found that women on average received poorer treatment than men – with fewer surgeries performed, specialist consultations, and prescribed medication.
Women are 20% more likely to die in the first five years after their first heart attack than men, a study found. Pictured is a woman with chest pain (stock image)
Heart attacks come in two forms: a life-threatening form called ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI, and a milder version called non-STEMI, which is more common.
In their study, the team found that the development of heart failure after STEMI or non-STEMI – whether in hospital after discharge – remains higher in women than in men.
Specifically, women were 9.4 percent more likely to die in hospital after STEMI and 4.5 percent after non-STEMI – compared to 4.7 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively, for men.
On average, women in the cohort studied were just over 10 years older than men – with an average age of 72, compared to 61 – and were more likely to have other health problems.
These included conditions such as atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Despite these increased health problems, only 72.8% of women were seen by a cardiovascular specialist, compared to 84% of men.
“Identifying when and how women may be at higher risk for heart failure after a heart attack can help providers develop more effective prevention approaches,” said author and cardiologist Justin Ezekowitz of the University of the Alberta.
“Better adherence to lowering cholesterol, controlling high blood pressure, more exercise, healthy eating and smoking cessation, combined with recognizing these issues earlier in life, would save thousands of lives.
The same advice would also apply to men, he added.
“Close enough is not good enough. There are gaps in diagnosis, access, quality of care and follow-up for all patients, ”said cardiologist Padma Kaul of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
“We need to be vigilant, paying attention to our own biases and to those who are most vulnerable to make sure that we have done everything possible to provide the best treatment,” added Dr Kaul.
The full results of the study were published in the journal Circulation.
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