A new US research has found that young women are much more likely to die following a heart attack than young men.The study, which contradicts the stereotype that men are more likely to die of heart attacks, was published in The Annals of Internal Medicine this week.
Researchers from Emory, Yale and Massachusetts Universities followed 6000 patients for two years after they were discharged from hospital after a heart attack. They found that 28.9 per cent of the female patients had died within two years, compared with 19.6 per cent of the male patients.Age had a dramatic impact, with the risk of death for women compared to men increasing 15.4 per cent for every 10 year decrease in age."The interaction between sex and age has an important effect on long-term mortality rate after myocardial infarction (heart attack)", the authors said.
Cardiovascular disease kills more women than all cancers. The early warning signs of heart attack can vary greatly, experts say. While these include such classic symptoms as chest pain, gray colour and sweatiness, women can also experience general malaise, nausea, abdominal pain and excessive fatigue.
It may also be, they said, that women are more at risk of death after heart attack because of increased depression, social isolation and lack of support once they leave hospital. Because heart attacks are less common among women, they may be admitted to hospital at a more acute stage of heart attack, and may therefore be less likely to survive in the long term .
