Differences in cardiovascular health across the lifespan of women

A collection of studies dedicated to cardiovascular medical research in women of all ages found that cardiovascular disease risks and outcomes differ for women from men across the lifespan. American Heart Association Journalan open-access peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

More women die from cardiovascular disease than from all types of cancer combined. Nearly 45% of women over the age of 20 have some form of cardiovascular disease, and less than 50% of women in the United States have good heart health when they become pregnant. Furthermore, more than half of deaths due to high blood pressure are women. However, according to the American Heart Association, only 38% of participants in cardiovascular disease clinical trials are women.

In honor of American Heart Month, our special Go Red for Women issue features research that reveals insights such as: Women are less likely than men to receive bystander CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) treatment, and are less likely than men to survive the first 30 days after hospitalization after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Is it low? How do readmission rates differ for women with heart failure and obstructive sleep apnea? Yet another featured study found that although women have a lower incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain), the second most common type of stroke, women are more likely to die a year after a stroke than men. Researchers report that this is highly likely to occur.

Below are some highlights of the manuscripts in this issue.

• Machine-learned sedentary behavior measured by accelerometers suggests an association with mortality in older women: the OPACH study

Dr. Steve Nguyen and others.University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California

The research team studied the sedentary behavior patterns of nearly 6,000 elderly women (average age 79) to determine the impact of sitting time on cardiovascular disease and mortality from all causes. Researchers used a machine learning-powered measurement tool to accurately classify sedentary time, and found that people who spent a total of 11.6 hours or more a day sitting, and who spent more time sitting uninterrupted, They found a 57% higher risk of death from any cause and a 78% higher risk. Examples of deaths due to cardiovascular disease. This was compared to women who sat for less than 9.3 hours per day. The increased risk of death was consistent regardless of age, BMI, physical function, cardiovascular disease risk factors, physical activity intensity, and race/ethnicity. Reducing overall sedentary behavior and reducing uninterrupted sitting time is likely to have significant public health benefits in an aging population, researchers say.

• Gender differences in the relationship between schizophrenia and the development of cardiovascular disease

Hidehiro Kaneko, MD, et al.University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Researchers studied the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with schizophrenia, a serious mental disorder and one of the top 15 leading causes of disability worldwide. Schizophrenia causes a severe chronic mental illness characterized by disturbances in perception, thinking, and behavior. The study found a strong association between schizophrenia and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in adults, especially women. This higher risk for women may be related to hormonal changes during pregnancy and menopause, or to reports that women are more sedentary than men. Nevertheless, this finding suggests that schizophrenia appears to play an important role in cardiovascular disease, and that medical professionals need a more thorough and gender-focused approach to cardiovascular disease prevention. It points out the need to take an approach. The researchers suggest that promoting physical activity is especially important in women with schizophrenia, as lack of exercise may have increased risk in the female participants in this study. Health care providers should routinely screen and treat schizophrenia as part of standard clinical practice, and should pay particular attention to women, the authors write.

• Maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy are associated with gestational hypertension in a predominantly low-income US Hispanic/Latino pregnancy cohort

Luis E. Maldonado, Ph.D., MPH, et al.Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

In a study of more than 400 predominantly low-income Hispanic/Latino pregnant women living in Los Angeles, researchers found that diets characterized by high intakes of solid fats, refined grains, and cheese were associated with higher blood pressure. They found that it was strongly associated with a higher chance of developing a sexual disorder. Conditions of pregnancy, including preeclampsia during pregnancy.

Other papers in the featured issue include:

• Association between sex and cardiovascular disease in heart failure patients with obstructive or central sleep apnea syndrome -; Jian Zhang, MD, et al. Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical University (Beijing, China)
• Pregnancy history at age 40 as a marker of cardiovascular risk -; Liv G. Kvalvik, MD, PhD, et al.University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
• Gender differences in the epidemiology of intracerebral hemorrhage over a 10-year period in a population-based stroke registry -; Simona Sacco, MD, et al.University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
• Gender differences in revascularization, treatment goals, and outcomes in patients with chronic coronary artery disease: Insights from the ISCHEMIA trial -; Harmony R. Reynolds, MD, FAHA, et al; NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York City
• Gender differences in bystander acceptance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation considering neighborhood racial and ethnic composition -; Audrey L. Brewer, Ph.D., MPH, et al.Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
• Hypertension during pregnancy in immigrant and Swedish women – Cohort study of all pregnant women in Sweden –; Dr. Axel C. Carlson et al.Karolinska Institutet, Hadinge, Sweden
• Gender differences in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival trends -; RLA Smits et al. Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder is associated with increased risk of stroke and transient ischemic attack in female veterans -; Ramin Ebrahimi, MD, et al. University of California, Los Angeles. Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles.and
• Gender differences in the outcome of acute myocardial injury after stroke -; Michela Rosso, MD, et al. University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia.