Women twice as likely to die after heart attack than men

Women are twice as likely to die after a heart attack than men and may need closer monitoring, experts have warned. New research presented at the Heart Failure 2023 conference found that 11.8 per cent of women die within 30 days of a heart attack compared with just 4.6 per cent of men. Likewise, nearly a third of women studied had died within five years of a heart attack compared with 19.8 per cent of men. “More research is required to understand why there is gender disparity in prognosis after myocardial infarction so that steps can be taken to close the gap in outcomes.” ‘Women at a disadvantage’ Commenting on the research, Regina Giblin, senior cardiac nurse at the BHF, said: “This study is yet more evidence that women continue to be at a disadvantage when it comes to their diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare for a heart attack. “It’s vital that we tackle the fundamental problems – to understand sex-specific risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, to improve participation of women in clinical trials so the evidence generated is equally applicable to them, and to guard against the unconscious biases which lead to women with heart disease receiving worse care than men.” The Heart Failure 2023 conference is organised by the European Society of Cardiology.