Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

While deaths due to cardiovascular diseases are on a rise globally, but new data has found evidence that death rates due to heart failure are much higher for women than for men, according to a recent study done by the researchers from the University of Ottawa’s Heart Institute. The study was published recently in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Dr. Louise Sun, from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario said, “This is the first of a series of studies to examine the sex differences in heart failure incidence, outcomes, care delivery and access in Ontario.”

Heart failure today is the reason behind many illnesses and deaths and it is responsible for about 35% of female cardiovascular deaths. Many recent types of research indicate that there is significant progress in reducing the rate of heart failure, but none of them have provided enough information on how the rate of heart failure varies between the two sexes.

For the study, researchers analyzed the data collected from more than 90 thousand patients who had been diagnosed with heart failure in Ontario over a period of five years, i.e. between 2009 to 2014. Researchers say that out of all these patients, 47% were female. These female patients were likely to be quite older and weaker, come from a lower income background and have multiple chronic illnesses.

The results of the study clearly indicated that more and more female patients were dying because of heart failure. According to the research team, the number of new heart failure cases of heart failure was lowest in 2011 and 2012, but the following year the number began to rise. In a period of one year of follow-up checkup after diagnosis, 16.8% (7156) women died compared to 14.9% (7138) men. The rate of hospitalization also saw an increase for female patients- 98 women per 1000 hospitalized in the year 2013 as compared to 91 per 1000 men.

“We found that mortality from heart failure remains high, especially in women; that hospital admissions for heart failure decreased in men but increased in women; and that women and men had differently associated comorbidities.,” the authors were quoted saying. “Further studies should focus on sex differences in health-seeking behavior, medical therapy and response to therapy to improve outcomes in women.”

By Purnima

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *