A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has shown that men’s risk of heart disease starts rising in their mid-30s on average; before women’s risk begins to rise and before most screenings take place.
The prospective cohort study used data from over 5,000 U.S. adults. The participants enrolled in the study during 1985 and 1986 and were between 18 and 30 years old at the start of the study. They were monitored through 2020, resulting in a median follow-up time of about 34 years. Throughout the study, the participants were monitored for the development of cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. Previous studies have suggested that men tend to develop heart disease about 10 years before women, and this study sought to determine whether this gap persists in contemporary data and whether a sex gap exists for different subtypes of heart disease
The results showed that overall, men had a significantly higher cumulative risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and heart failure compared to women. Men also reached a 5% incidence rate of cardiovascular disease about 7 years before women reached this level of incidence. The risk of developing cardiovascular disease was similar for men and women until about age 35, after which men’s risk tended to increase faster than women’s risk. The earlier rises in risk and rates of incidence of cardiovascular disease in men could not be explained by risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, or diabetes, suggesting that other social or biological factors may be at play.
The authors of the study noted that screening for heart disease and risk factors at an earlier age may help all people, especially men, implement preventive strategies to mitigate long-term risk. Heart disease develops slowly over the course of decades, so earlier screening and preventive measures may save thousands of lives over time.
Sources: Journal of the American Heart Association, Science Daily
