Cardiovascular disease kills more women than men

Contrary to popular belief, heart disease kills more women than men and is the leading cause of death among women in the European and French level, said at a press conference Dr. Helen Eltchaninoff (CHU Rouen), in conjunction with the annual Congress of Interventional Cardiology (EuroPCR) which took place in Paris.
The impact of cardiovascular disease in women
"In Europe, she says, cardiovascular diseases account for 54% of deaths in women (cancers, 18%) and 43% of deaths in men (versus 21% for cancers.) In France, this mortality is 34% (before the cancer, with a score of 23%), versus 28% in men (33% for cancers for comparison). "

According to her, the general public and the medical community must end the wisdom that cardiovascular disease is primarily a man's (or every year these diseases kill more women than men, or 89,000 against 76,000 diseases in France in 1999) and breast cancer, the number one disease risk in women, whereas cardiovascular disease is responsible for more deaths than all cancers (33.8% versus 22.6%).

"Only 8% of women consider heart disease as their greatest health risk, while a third will die of this disease and 1/20th of breast cancer," reveals Dr. Eltchaninoff.ac

A 50% risk of dying from a first heart attack
A woman has a 50% risk of dying from his first heart attack, against 30% for a man, says the specialist. "Beyond 50 years, she says, 38% of women who have suffered a myocardial infarction will die within one year (versus 25% for men) year."

Moreover, if women aged 35 to 64 are four times less stroke victims than men of the same age, this difference diminishes beyond (according to a study called Monica, conducted in 21 countries by the Organization World Health Organization).

"In fact, says Dr. Eltchaninoff, cardiovascular disease affects women on average 10 years later than men, probably due to the protective effect of estrogen before menopause." Myocardial infarction are less numerous in the French female population, but also more deadly!

It is time to educate and inform women about their risks vis-à-vis cardiovascular disease and the potential danger that these conditions represent. For this, the medical community must also become more aware of this reality in order to optimize its actions in terms of prevention, information and diagnostic management of their patients.