Smoking and diabetes significantly increase the risk of heart attack in women

What factors increase the risk of heart attack in women??

Researchers have now found that smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure in women significantly increase the risk of heart attack compared to men who are faced with the same factors.

Researchers at the University of Oxford found that various factors, such as smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure in women, increase the likelihood of developing heart attack. The physicians published the results of their study in the English language journal "BMJ".

Typical symptoms of a heart attack are chest pains, but they are by no means common to all. (Image: Robert Kneschke / fotolia.com)

Men are more likely to have a heart attack

Men still have a heart attack three times more often than women. But smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure also increase the risk of heart attack in women. That's why women should receive the same treatments as men. In addition, women should also receive sufficient support to stop smoking.

Investigation included nearly 500,000 subjects

The study tracked nearly 500,000 subjects aged 40 to 69 who were registered in the UK Biobank Database. Over the course of seven years, 5,081 people had their first heart attack and one in three was a woman. Although the risk of heart attack in women is lower than in men of all ages, certain risk factors seem to have a greater impact on women. When women smoked, they became three times more likely to have a heart attack compared to non-smoking women. In men, on the other hand, the risk of smoking doubled.

Diabetes and high blood pressure increase risk of heart attack

High blood pressure increased the risk of suffering a heart attack in women by 83 percent more, compared with the same effect in men. Type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes also had a greater impact on the risk of heart attack in women compared to men. The researchers do not know why these factors are gender specific. So far no clear conclusions about cause and effect can be drawn, but there are some theories. Biological factors could be a reason. For example, type 2 diabetes is usually associated with a poor diet and an unhealthy lifestyle. These factors could have a different effect on the female heart than on the male heart, scientists suggest. In addition, women often do not realize that they have heart disease and may therefore be less well-treated by doctors.

These symptoms indicate a heart attack

Various symptoms may indicate a heart attack such as chest pain, pain in other parts of the body (usually the left arm, but it may also affect the arms, jaw, neck, back and stomach), drowsiness, dizziness, sweating, shortness of breath, weakness, anxiety and To cough. Although the pain in the chest is often severe, some people may experience even minor pain, similar to indigestion. In some cases, there may not be any chest pain, especially in the elderly, women and people with diabetes.

Women should be aware of the increased risks

Heart disease also affects women and this must be recognized, says study author Dr. Elizabeth Millett from the University of Oxford. Women need to be aware that they are in danger, but despite numerous campaigns, most women are unaware of their risk of having a heart attack. It's a lengthy, complicated affair that's probably caused by a combination of factors, both biological and social factors, the expert adds. In the future, women could have a similarly high rate of heart attack as men due to the aging population. (As)