A recent Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine study found men develop cardiovascular disease earlier than previously thought.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, used data from the “Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study,” which followed 5,115 Black and White men, and women ages 18 to 30, from four U.S. cities. The study began in 1985 and 1986. None of the participants had cardiovascular disease at the start and attended follow-up visits every two to five years for 30 years. At visits, researchers measured blood pressure, cholesterol and other heart health markers.
Here are five study notes:
1. At age 35, men are nearly twice as likely as women to develop cardiovascular disease within the next 10 years. The elevated risk remains consistent through midlife.
2. By 50, 4.7% of men had developed CVD, compared to 2.9% of women, who didn’t reach the same risk level until 57.
3. The driving factor behind men’s earlier heart attack risk is higher incidents of coronary heart disease. Among men, 2.5% had developed the disease by 50, compared to 0.9% of women.
4. By 55, men are twice as likely to experience a heart-related event over the following decade.
5. The risk gap between men and women persists even when accounting for differences in smoking, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.
