“Women at Higher Risk for Heart Attack Complications, Study Finds”

Young women who suffer from a heart attack are at a higher risk of adverse outcomes and rehospitalization, compared to men of the same age group, in the year following discharge, according to a study by the Journal of American College of Cardiology. The study found that second heart attacks and chest pain due to the heart are the most common causes of rehospitalization, but non-cardiac hospitalizations showed the most significant disparity. As per the lead author of the study, Mitsuaki Sawano, MD, PhD, postdoctoral associate at Yale-New Haven Hospital Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, this begins with awareness towards preventing heart attacks and screening programs to detect risk factors before a patient has a heart attack. The study examined data from young women and men who experienced a heart attack between ages 18 and 55 years old and highlighted the need for continued efforts to optimize secondary preventive strategies to reduce coronary-related hospitalizations and further research into the causes and mechanisms of non-cardiac hospitalization.