Women and men share the majority of the same cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, according to a big worldwide study, the first of its kind to include participants from low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of CVD is greatest.
The global study evaluated metabolic (such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes), behavioural (smoking and diet), and psychosocial (economic status and depression) risk variables in over 156,000 individuals aged 35 to 70 without a history of cardiovascular disease. They resided in 21 low-, middle-, and high-income nations across five continents and were tracked for an average of ten years.
In general, women had a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease than men, particularly at younger ages.
However, diet was more strongly associated with CVD risk in women than in men—”something that has not been previously described and which requires independent confirmation,” said Salim Yusuf, the study’s lead investigator, senior author, executive director of PHRI, professor of medicine at McMaster University, and cardiologist at HHS.
Men had a stronger association between high levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and symptoms of depression with cardiovascular disease risk than women. In general, the patterns of these findings were comparable in high-income and upper-middle-income countries, as well as in low-income and lower-middle-income nations.
Metabolic, behavioural, and psychosocial risk factors and cardiovascular disease in women compared with men in 21 high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: an analysis of the PURE study, The Lancet (2022). www.thelancet.com/journals/lan … (22)01441-6/fulltext