Women are less likely than men to survive a heart attack, according to recent statistics. A study found that 42% of women who have heart attacks die within one year compared with 24% of men.

 

Researchers attribute the discrepancy in heart attack survivals to a variety of possible factors. For one, women tend to develop heart disease about 10 years later in life than men, and they are more likely to have coexisting chronic conditions, such as breast cancer involving chemotherapy that may affect some women who have heart attacks. Also, women may not be diagnosed or treated as aggressively as men for their heart problems.

 

A 2004 study of 5,887 people who made 911 calls found that, on average, women arrived at the hospital 2.3 minutes slower than men. Another study, published in the Journal of Stroke and Cardiovascular Diseases, concluded that “female and black stroke patients are less likely than others to receive care to prevent subsequent strokes.”

 

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women in the United States, with about 50% of female mortalities attributed to either heart attack or stroke.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Cardiovascular Disease and Other Chronic Conditions in Women: Recent Findings (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)