Study Recommends Earlier Cardiovascular Screening for Men

A recent study suggests that men should begin screening for heart attack risk earlier. Researchers found that men’s risk of cardiovascular disease begins to rise in their mid-30s, which is notably sooner than what appears for women.

Conducted in the US, the study tracked the health of 5,112 individuals for an average of about 34 years. The participants were healthy adults aged 18 to 30 when the research started in the mid-1980s, allowing the team to observe cardiovascular disease cases over time.

The data indicated that age 35 marks a significant point where disparities in cardiovascular disease risk between men and women start to show. This difference is primarily attributed to coronary heart disease (CHD), recognized as the most common cause of heart attacks, characterized by fatty deposits in the arteries.

“That timing might seem early, but heart disease develops over decades, with early indicators visible in young adulthood,” noted epidemiologist Alexa Freedman from Northwestern University.

She added, “Early screening can help identify risk factors sooner, enabling preventive strategies to lower overall risk.”

Even after accounting for other risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, smoking, physical activity, and body weight, the gender gap lessened but remained, hinting at deeper issues at play.

According to the findings, men experience a 5 percent incidence rate of cardiovascular disease roughly seven years earlier than women — 50.5 years compared to 57.5 years. Specifically for CHD, men hit a 2 percent incidence a decade earlier than women.

When looking at stroke risk, there wasn’t a substantial difference between the genders, whereas the disparity for heart failure, which involves a reduction in the heart’s pumping ability, developed later in life. These observations provide a groundwork for future studies.

Freedman added, “The sample was still relatively young; all participants were under 65 at the last follow-up, and conditions like stroke and heart failure generally emerge later in life.”

While the study didn’t delve deeply into the reasons behind the gender differences, factors like sex hormones and cholesterol levels could play a role.

The previously reported 10-year gap in CHD risk between men and women has now been examined with updated data, and this study broadens the focus to various types of cardiovascular diseases.

Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death for both sexes in the United States. The researchers stressed the importance of recognizing risks for women as well.

Yet, given that women are statistically more inclined to visit healthcare providers for check-ups, and considering that men face earlier heart attack risks, the team hopes for enhanced initiatives encouraging men to assess their heart health sooner.

“Our findings suggest that fostering preventive care visits among young men could significantly improve heart health and decrease cardiovascular disease risk,” Freedman emphasized.

The results of this research have been published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.