Question: I have read that women do not live as long as men after a heart attack. Is this true and what is the reason for this?
Answer: Women who have a heart attack and come into the hospital are more likely to die from that heart attack within their hospitalization and within the first year. Exactly why that's true is not completely known, but there are a number of factors that play into it.
First, women are older when they have their heart attack. They're more likely to have other conditions that can contribute to problems from the heart attack. They're more likely to have diabetes and high blood pressure and to have heart failure symptoms.
In addition, women are less likely to get to the hospital in a very early time frame, and that's when we can do the most with an acute heart attack.
Finally, women tend not to get the same treatments as men, and the reasons for that are still unclear, and we urge both women and physicians to be sure to be alert, and to treat men and women as just the same when they have the same conditions.