A recent study conducted at the University of Southern California revealed that women in their 60s have as many risk factors for heart disease as men with the situation becoming worse by the time they reach their 70s.
However on the other hand, middle-aged women are at a lower risk of heart disease compared to men belonging to the same age-group, the study indicated. This indicates a complete shift from previous decades when older men had greater chances of contracting heart diseases.
As quoted by Eileen Crimmins, corresponding author and professor in USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, “Women are no longer protected from heart disease risk relative to men.”
“Reports indicating that men are more likely to have more high-risk levels of blood pressure and cholesterol are no longer true in the U.S. population over 60 years of age,” he added.
It was pointed out that women showed increased rates of high risk blood pressure - both diastolic and systolic – compared to men. In addition to that the effectiveness of the medication against hypertension was higher in men than women, the study pointed out.
The research was conducted on 906 women whose health histories were taken into consideration from the year 1996 to 2000 and factors like weight, their ability to do common physical activities at home, work and at leisure were also analyzed.
The findings revealed that 455 women suffered from cardiac issues such as a heart attack or stroke. Also, it was found out that women prone to atleast moderate activity were less likely to develop heart disease or other related problems compared to women with lower levels of activity irrespective of the weight category they belonged to.
The findings of the study were published in the latest issue of the Journal of Women`s Health.
