Gender-specific Differences in Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Cardiovascular diseases are a major reason for morbidity and mortality among women and men. Female gender is associated with a delay in time of about ten years of onset of coronary artery disease. Therefore, cardiovascular diseases are rather illnesses of elderly women. An extensive body of research and scientific evidence exists regarding the identification of risk factors and their contribution to the development of cardiovascular diseases such as smoking, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Gender-specific differences can be found not only in the distribution of these risk factors but also regarding their effects. For women hypertension and diabetes have major relevance with regard to cardiovascular diseases as well as inflammatory mechanisms in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome. While the importance of cardiovascular risk factor control is evident, a significant under use of treatment especially in women has been described in several trials. The number of female patients with poorly regulated blood pressure value and blood sugar level is frightening high.