A new study shows that women’s stress, sleep disturbance and fatigue are considered unconventional risk factors for heart attack and stroke, rising faster in women than men.
Researchers compared data from 22,000 men and women in the Swiss Health Survey in 2007, 2012, and 2017 and found that the number of women reporting non-traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease has increased dramatically.
They believe that this trend is consistent with the increase in the number of full-time women from 38% in 2007 to 44% in 2017.
Among men and women, the number of people reporting work stress increased from 59% in 2012 to 66% in 2017.
Those who reported feeling tired and fatigued increased from 23% to 29%-women increased to 33% and men increased to 26%.
Researchers found that during the same period, the number of people reporting sleep disorders increased from 24% to 29%, and women (8%) experienced a higher increase in severe sleep disorders than men (5%).
We found an overall increase in non-traditional risk factors for both sexes, but these were more pronounced in female participants
However, the study also found that the traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease remained stable during the same period.
More than a quarter (27%) of people have high blood pressure, 18% have elevated cholesterol, and 5% have diabetes.
obesity Increased to 11%, smoking decreased from about 10.5 cigarettes per day to 9.5 cigarettes, but both are more common among men.
The authors of the study are Dr. Martin Hansel, a neurologist at the University Hospital of Zurich, and Dr. Susanne Wegener, a professor of neurology at the University of Zurich.
They said: “Our research found that men are more likely to smoke and become obese than women, but women report a greater increase in unconventional risk factors for heart attack and stroke, such as work pressure, sleep disturbance, feeling tired and fatigued.
“This increase coincides with the increase in the number of full-time women.
“Reconciling work and family responsibilities or other social and cultural aspects may be a factor, as well as specific health needs that may not be considered in our daily lives.
“We found that non-traditional risk factors for both sexes increased overall, but it was more pronounced in female participants, while most traditional cardiovascular risk factors remained stable.
“These results underscore the fact that there are gender differences in non-traditional CVD (cardiovascular disease) risk factors, and there is a surprising increase in women.”
Dr. Wegener explained that diabetes, arterial hypertension, elevated cholesterol, smoking, obesity and lack of exercise are recognized modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
However, it has recently been pointed out that non-traditional risk factors such as work stress and sleep problems can significantly increase cardiovascular risk.
Dr. Wegener said: “Traditionally, it is believed that men are more susceptible to heart attacks and strokes than women, but in some countries, women have surpassed men.
“There is a gender gap, and further research is needed to find out why.”
The research was presented at the European Stroke Organization (ESO) conference.
