Although the gap between heart disease in men and women is closing, there are still differences in the average age of onset of symptoms and in the causes of heart disease in men and women. Some of these are caused by physiological differences in hormones and body fat distribution, ethnicity and in lifestyle habits between the sexes.
Age
Heart disease begins or worsens an average of 10 years earlier in men and tends to develop faster. However, according to the Texas Heart Institute, women experience an increased risk of heart disease after menopause. This may be caused by decreasing levels of the female hormone estrogen during and after menopause.
Risk Factors
Cholesterol and high blood pressure levels that can lead to heart disease are more common in men than women under the average age of 65 years. According to the Texas Heart Institute, the hormone estrogen in women may help increase levels women have of "good" cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, while men tend to have more "lethal" cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein. This causes cholesterol plaques that gradually build up in the arteries of the heart and body, leading to coronary heart disease. However, during and after menopause, women face the same risk of heart disease as men, because estrogen levels are lowered.
Prevalence
The Society for Women's Health Research states that though women have heart disease an average of 10 years later than men, approximately 50,000 more women than men will suffer from heart disease. Women are also more likely than men to have a second heart attack within a year of their first one.
Ethnicity
Ethnicity plays a greater role in heart disease in men. According to research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, people of South Asian descent, particularly men, face much higher risks of cardiovascular disease compared to other populations. They are also affected by heart disease at younger ages, almost 10 to 15 years earlier than people of other ethnic groups.
Symptoms
Men and women can experience both similar and varying symptoms of a heart attack. Both men and women may experience chest pain or angina, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, cold sweats, indigestion or heartburn. According to the Cleveland Clinic, women may also experience feelings of pressure in the chest, jaw pain or numbness, abdominal pain or feelings of fullness, pain in the neck or upper back, shortness of breath and anxiety. Men are more likely to feel pain or numbness in the shoulders, neck, arms and upper back. Men are also more likely to feel symptoms that dissipate with rest and then return.
