Heart attacks deadlier to women

IT IS a common perception that heart attacks affect mainly men. However, in the last three decades, death from heart attacks has been consistently higher in women than men in the United States yearly.

Women are worse off

Whether within one year or five years after a heart attack, more women than men will die (26 per cent and 47 per cent of women versus 19 per cent and 36 per cent of men respectively). In addition, women with heart attacks are also more likely to suffer from a stroke. With almost half the women dying within five years of a heart attack, understanding the reasons for the increased fatalities in women will help us to take proactive measures to reduce the incidence of heart attacks. A publication "Acute Myocardial Infarction in Women: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association" in the highly regarded Circulation journal in 2016 provides interesting insight into the differences between men and women.