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Diabetic women more likely to have heart trouble than men
| Some diabetes-related sex differences in heart and blood vessel diseases were observed. Inherent hormonal differences may be the culprit. |
| Women with Type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to have coronary heart disease compared to men, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement. It also points out that African-American and Hispanic women with Type 2 diabetes are disproportionately affected by coronary artery disease and stroke as compared to men with Type 2 diabetes. |
| Type 2 diabetes is associated with the body not producing enough insulin to control blood sugar levels. |
| While scientists do not fully understand how the inherent hormonal differences between men and women affect risk, they do know that “some risk factors for heart disease and stroke affect women differently than men and that there are disparities in how these risk factors are treated”, said Judith G. Regensteiner, chair of the statement writing group and director of the Centre for Women’s Health Research. |
| “Cardiovascular disease may be more deadly for women with Type 2 diabetes than it is for men,” she added. The statement said that the women with Type 2 diabetes have heart attacks at earlier ages than men, are more likely to die after a first heart attack than men, and are less likely to undergo procedures to open clogged arteries — such as angioplasty or coronary artery bypass grafting — than men. |
| While the new scientific statement clarifies some diabetes-related sex differences in heart and blood vessel disease, more research is necessary, according to the authors. |