Some studies show that the rate of death from heart attack is greater for women than for men. CHD is also a major cause of serious illness and disability, particularly for women,who may live on average five or six years longer than men.
Disability is costly by both quality of life and economic measures.
The Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology, European Atherosclerosis Society and European Society of Hypertension strongly advocates preventive strategies. Until recently, it was assumed that findings from the thousands of CHD studies on men conducted since the 1960s would apply equally to women. The dearth of data on women - especially older women leaves many questions unanswered, such as how female hormones affect cholesterol levels, whether aspirin is as effective for women as it appears to be for men, when blood pressure medicines should be prescribed, which ones and at what dose, how dietary recommendations might differ, and the most effective way to motivate lifestyle changes among women. Comprehensive data are now being sought. In addition, standards of care are not equal.