Heart & Blood
Women with diabetes more likely to die from heart attack than men
By David Liu, Ph. D.
Nov 18, 2008 - 10:55:47 AM

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Tuesday Nov 18, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study published in the Dec 2008 issue of Heart suggests that under age 65, women with diabetics are more likely to die from heart attack than men in the same age group.

The study led by Norhammar A and colleagues from Karolinska University Hospital Solna in Stockholm, Sweden found that under the age of 65, women with diabetes were 34 percent more likely to die from heart attack than men in the same age group.

The study was meant to examine the gender differences in prognosis of heart attack or myocardial infarction, risk factors and statuses of treatment in 5786 women and 4473 men who had diabetes.

The researchers also found that women under age 65 were likely to suffer hypertension and heart failure than men, 49 versus 43 percent and 10 versus 8 percent respectively.

Women under age 65 were less frequently treated with intravenous beta-blockade during the acute hospital phase and with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors at hospital discharge.   But the treatments and gender differences were not associated with the mortality of heart attack.

Each year, 1,200,000 new and recurrent heart attacks are recorded and about 38 percent of people who experience heart attack in a given year die from the event, according to the American Heart Association.