Cardiovascular diseases: 4 differences between women and men

There are differences in the course of cardiovascular diseases in women and men, as well as in their consequences. Doctors remind: gender is a separate factor of their increased risk.

Men's hearts are heavier - women's hearts beat faster. Gender differences begin with the organ itself: in men, the heart is about 15 centimeters long and weighs about 300 grams. In women, it is about 12 centimeters, weighs about 250 grams.

"Women's hearts are smaller and beat faster - about 70 beats per minute, men - 60 beats. Coronary arteries in women are also already smaller, which creates certain difficulties during medical intervention", cardiologists note.

Sick heart: men begin to suffer earlier. When it comes to heart disease, the stronger sex first encounters it an average of ten years earlier – not only because of an often unhealthy lifestyle. In women, the heart receives additional support and protection due to the activity of the sex hormone estrogen.

"Before the onset of menopause, women are much better protected than men of the same age from the destructive process of calcification of blood vessels, and, therefore, from heart diseases," - explain scientific experts.

At the same time, they say, the risk of cardiovascular disease for women steadily increases after age 65, when estrogen levels are at their lowest.

"At this age, an acute heart attack is the most common cause of death in women," experts warn.

Death from cardiovascular diseases: women die more. This is mainly due to difficulties in recognizing the symptoms of heart attacks, which are often "masked" as other ailments (most often under digestive disorders) in women of the weaker sex. Also, women experience less pain in the chest. As a result, they often do not receive timely therapy: on average, they are brought to the emergency department later.

Stroke: more frequent and more severe in women. The fairer sex is more prone to the risk of stroke, which is more often associated with heart disorders (for example, atrial fibrillation), while in men - with atherosclerosis of large vessels.

"Women suffer from heart failure more often. Pregnancy and taking hormonal drugs additionally increase the risk of stroke. In addition, they recover worse after a stroke," the doctors state.