Cardiovascular disease (CVD) leads to the death of a significantly higher proportion of women in Europe than men, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal.
Cardiovascular disease in Europe – epidemiological update 2015 analysed mortality data from the 53 countries of the World Health Organization's European region. It found that 49% of all deaths in females in Europe were caused by CVD, compared to 40% of men. Coronary heart disease is the largest mortality cause linked to CVD, with 20% and 19% of women and men in Europe dying as a result of the condition. Women were also more likely to die due to a stroke, with 14% of women in Europe dying from them, compared with 9% of men. Overall, CVD is responsible for 45% of deaths each year in Europe.
Dr Nick Townsend, senior researcher at the BHF Centre on Population Approaches for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention at the University of Oxford, who led the study, said: 'It is a strange phenomenon. While cardiovascular disease is a bigger problem for men, we observe a higher proportion of women dying of CVD. Women have greater life expectancies, which means that there is a larger female population in Europe. If the population sizes were the same, a higher number of men would die of CVD.'
Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the BHF, said: 'This analysis is a powerful reminder that cardiovascular disease remains Europe's biggest killer, despite the advances we've made in preventing and treating heart conditions through medical research. We can't be fooled into thinking the battle against heart disease is won. For women the figures are particularly worrying – almost half of the women in Europe die from heart attacks or strokes.'
The study also observed significant disparities in the outcomes for people with CVD between Western and Eastern Europe. In Western Europe, the study found mortality rates in men for CVD at 275.2, 292.4 and 342.2 in France, Spain and the UK respectively. In contrast, in Eastern Europe, mortality rates of 1423.1, 13322.3, and 1143.9 were observed in Russia, Bulgaria and Romania, respectively.
Mr Gillespie added: 'The differences in cardiovascular disease deaths between the European nations are also concerning. This shows the urgent need to fund more research towards faster, more accurate diagnosis and more effective treatments, alongside work to help prevent people developing heart and circulatory diseases in the first place.'