For many years, coronary heart disease was widely believed to be a man's disease. We now know that being a woman does not protect you from coronary heart disease, although it may delay symptoms. Men typically develop the disease after age 45, ten years earlier than women do. High levels of estrogen protect women from the disease into their mid-50s, until these levels drop following menopause. After 55, the death rate for women climbs and after age 70, the death rate for women exceeds that for men.
We think that women are protected from premature coronary heart disease because of their estrogen. Women can get heart disease sooner than men if they smoke, have diabetes or have high blood pressure. There tends to be a gap of about 10 years between the onset of heart disease in women versus men. And, we know it’s a growing problem in the elderly, as America ages and women tend to live longer than men on average.
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