Risk of death from heart failure is lower in women than in men
“This survival benefit is inherent to female sex and there are a number of potential explanations for the better outcomes in women. The female heart appears to respond to injury differently from the male heart. For example, women have less ventricular remodelling, greater preservation of right ventricular function, and greater protection against ventricular arrhythmias, neurohormonal activation, genetic mutations, and apoptosis. Some of these advantages could be related to pregnancy and to sex-specific differences in gene expression.”
You can lower your risk of heart disease by taking certain steps, including:
Don’t smoke or use other tobacco products. If you smoke, get help quitting .
Get your blood pressure checked at least every two years. If you have high blood pressure, follow your doctor’s advice on how to lower it and keep it under control.
Ask your doctor if you need to have your cholesterol and triglyceride levels tested.
Maintain a healthy weight. Learn about your body mass index , or BMI.
Eat a heart-healthy diet. Eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and foods that are high in fiber. Limit foods high in saturated fat, cholesterol, trans fat, and sodium.
Limit alcohol use. Avoid drinking too much alcohol, which causes high blood pressure.
Make physical activity a habit. Learn more about the amounts and types of activity that can help.
Control diabetes, if you have it. Make sure to follow your doctor’s instructions for medications and lifestyle changes.
Talk to your doctor about taking aspirin. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that men ages 45 to 79 take aspirin to lower their risk of heart attack when the benefit outweighs the possible harm of gastrointestinal bleeding. Discuss your personal risk of both heart disease and gastrointestinal bleeding with your doctor.
The study also found that overall women were prescribed fewer recommended treatments for heart failure than men - including angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers. This under-use in women, say the authors, “was particularly evident in patients with reduced ejection fraction”.
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References
(1). Martinez-Selles M, Doughty RN, Poppe K, et al. Gender and survival in patients with heart failure: interactions with diabetes and aetiology. Results from the MAGGIC individual patient meta-analysis. Eur J Heart Fail 2012; doi:10.1093/eurjhf/hfs026
Authors
ESC Press Office
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European Society of Cardiology
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ESC Press Office
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
33-049-294-8627
European Society of Cardiology