Gender

Gender has a significant influence of cardiovascular disease risk - and risk factors affect men and women in distinct ways. By the age of 70, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 4 men report having been told by their physician that they have heart problems.

One study found that the incidence of heart disease was three times higher in men than in women, and men were five times more likely to die of heart disease. Diabetes, low HDL (good) cholesterol and smoking are risk factors that affect men more than women.

Women and Heart Disease

Until women reach menopause they have a lower risk of stroke than men. After menopause, however, women are at increased risk of heart disease. A menopausal woman may experience an increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels and a decrease in HDL (good) cholesterol. She may also show a tendency toward higher blood pressure. Reduced estrogen levels may also increase body fat above the waist, have harmful effects on the way blood clots, and affect the way the body handles sugar, a precursor condition to diabetes. For more information about how heart disease can affect women, please see The Heart & Stroke Foundation's The Heart Truth project.