Women are more than twice as likely to die after a heart attack compared to men, a study suggests.
Every year in the UK, more than 30,000 women are hospitalized after having a heart attack.
Now a study from Portugal points to women’s lower risk of surviving this medical event.
Researchers looked at 884 patients, including men and women, who were hospitalized after the most serious type of heart attack, called an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), in which the coronary artery is completely blocked, cutting off blood flow to the heart. a long period.
All patients had undergone angioplasty to widen the blocked artery, along with a stent to allow blood to flow more freely, within 48 hours of the onset of their symptoms, and the study focused on looking at their mortality rates.
Women may be at greater risk of dying after a heart attack because they tend to get them when they are older than men, and thus generally in poorer health. The British Heart Foundation has also warned of thousands of women dying needlessly in the UK as they are more likely to be misdiagnosed and less likely to receive life-saving treatments, as well as medicines to help prevent a second heart attack.
Researchers looked at 884 patients, including men and women, who were hospitalized after the most serious type of heart attack, called an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), in which the coronary artery is completely blocked, cutting off blood flow to the heart. a long period
The results, presented at Heart Failure 2023, a scientific conference of the European Society of Cardiology, showed that women were nearly 2.8 times more likely to die within 30 days.
At that point, 11.8 percent of women had died, compared to 4.6 percent of men.
Women may be at greater risk of dying after a heart attack because they tend to get them when they are older than men, and thus generally in poorer health.
The British Heart Foundation has also warned of thousands of women dying needlessly in the UK as they are more likely to be misdiagnosed and less likely to receive life-saving treatments, as well as medicines to help prevent a second heart attack.
Heart attacks are called “myocardial infarctions” by doctors.
Dr. Mariana Martinho, lead author of the new study, from Hospital Garcia de Orta in Portugal, said: ‘Women of all ages who have a heart attack are at particularly high risk of having a poor prognosis.
‘These women should be monitored regularly after their heart disease, with strict monitoring of blood pressure, cholesterol levels and diabetes, and referral to cardiac rehabilitation.
“Smoking rates are rising among young women and this needs to be addressed, along with promoting physical activity and healthy living.”
The study, which included patients hospitalized between 2010 and 2015, 27 percent of whom were female, found that women were an average of seven years older when they had their heart attack.
Admittedly, after a heart attack at age 67, the women were also, on average, more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes, and a previous stroke.
Men who had a heart attack at age 60 were, on average, more likely to smoke and develop coronary artery disease.
However, all health concerns were taken into account and women were still 2.3 times more likely to die within five years of their heart attack compared to men.
At that point, nearly a third of women had died, compared to less than 17 percent of men.
About 34 percent of the women had died within five years of their heart attack, had another heart attack or stroke caused by a blockage of a blood vessel, or had been hospitalized with heart failure.
This is called the risk of a major cardiac event, or MACE, and was seen in less than 20 percent of men after five years.
All patients received timely angioplasty and stent, which are called a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) when received together.
But the study found that women aged 55 and younger waited longer for treatment after they arrived at the hospital — with treatment taking an average of 95 minutes, compared to 80 minutes for men.
The researchers conducted a further analysis in which they matched 435 of the patients, divided into those aged 55 and under and those over 55, taking into account health conditions that would affect their risk of heart problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking or having diabetes. .
Even after this was done, in patients aged 55 and younger, the risk of a MACE within five years was almost four times higher for women, although the mortality rates at 30 days or five years were no different.
And for those over 55, women were nearly four times as likely to die within 30 days and more than twice as likely to die after five years, while also being more likely to have a MACE.
Dr Martinho said: ‘The findings are another reminder of the need for greater awareness of the risks of heart disease in women.’