Older women are ‘increasingly at risk from heart disease’

Women in their 60s may face as many risks of heart disease as men and could be in greater danger by their 70s, according to a new study.

The research from the University of Southern California shows that although women are less susceptible than men to heart disease in middle age, the risk factor between men and women is levelled by the time women reach 60 years-of-age.

The study’s author Professor Eilieen Crimmins said: “Women are no longer protected from heart disease relative to men.

“Reports indicating that men are more likely to have more high risk levels of blood pressure and cholesterol are no longer true in the US population over 60 years-of-age,” she added.

Indeed women taking part in the research were found to show greater instances of high blood pressure than their male counterparts, and the effectiveness of hypertension medication on them was less than it was among the men.

The research was done on 906 women whose medical histories were studied from 1996 to 2000, taking into account changes in indicators of cardiovascular disease between 1988 and 2002.