European study reveals gender differences in cardiovascular disease burden

A new analysis published in the ‘European Heart Journal’ highlights significant gender-specific differences in cardiovascular disease across Europe. Using 2023 data from the ‘Global Burden of Disease Study’, researchers found that while the total burden of cardiovascular disease is similar between men and women, the underlying causes and risk factors vary.

In 2023, women accounted for 55 percent (six million) of cases and 50 percent (1.5 million) of deaths in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) region. However, men show a higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease (38 percent versus 21 percent for women), while women have a higher proportion of peripheral arterial disease (23 percent versus 19 percent).

The study also notes that 25 percent of future cardiovascular diseases in women may be linked to high blood pressure during pregnancy. Despite these complexities, cardiovascular mortality has declined across the 55 studied countries between 1990 and 2023, with an overall regional decrease of 50.5 percent. In Austria, mortality from these diseases fell by 56.6 percent during the same period.