Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the most common heart diseases that occur in both men and women. But if the risk factors of MI are associated with sex differences is unclear. This study aims to evaluate whether sex differences are linked to the risk factors of MI in adults.
This is a prospective population-based study that included a total of 471,998 participants (56% women, mean SD age 56.2) with no history of cardiovascular disease. The primary outcome of the study was incident MI and its association with sex differences.
During seven years of follow-up, a total of 5,081 participants: 1,463 women (incident rate: 7.76 per 1,000 person-years) and 3,618 (IR 24.35) had MI. High blood pressure, BMI, diabetes, and smoking intensity were the primary factors associated with the risk of MI in both men and women. In women, hypertension, systolic BP, and smoking intensity were associated with higher hazard ratios than men. The incidence of MI was found to be higher in men than in women.
The research concluded that men, regardless of age, are at a higher risk of MI than women. However, some risk factors are more strongly associated with women than with men.
Ref: https://www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k4247
