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Sex Differences in the Cardiovascular Consequences of Diabetes Mellitus

A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association 

Women with Type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to have coronary heart disease compared to men, and may also need more frequent and intense physical activity to lower their risk of having a heart attack or stroke, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published in the association's journal Circulation.

The statement notes women with Type 2 diabetes compared with men:

  • have heart attacks at earlier ages
  • are more likely to die after a first heart attack
  • are less likely to undergo procedures to open clogged arteries, such as angioplasty or coronary artery bypass grafting
  • are less likely to be on cholesterol lowering drugs such as statins, take aspirin or useblood pressure-lowering medications
  • are less likely to have their blood sugar or blood pressure under control

Also women

  • develop Type 2 diabetes based on sex-specific differences, such as gestational diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome

The full statement is available at:
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2015/12/06/CIR.0000000000000343.full.pdf+html

Reference

 

Regensteiner JG, Golden S, Huebschmann AG, Barrett-Connor E, Chang AY, Chyun D, Fox CS, Kim C, Mehta N, Reckelhoff JF, Reusch JE, Rexrode KM, Sumner AE, Welty FK, Wenger NK, Anton B. Sex Differences in the Cardiovascular Consequences of Diabetes Mellitus: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2015 Dec 7. pii: CIR.0000000000000343. [Epub ahead of print]

 

Content updated 15 December 2015