{"id":3219,"date":"2023-08-30T12:08:22","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T01:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/?p=3219"},"modified":"2024-02-15T10:00:07","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T23:00:07","slug":"signsofheartdiseaseinmales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/signsofheartdiseaseinmales\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is heart disease more common in males?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduction<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most of us know that heart disease is a big problem in Australia, but how many of us could explain what heart disease actually is? There\u2019s many confusing terms out there including \u2018heart attack\u2019, \u2018coronary disease\u2019, \u2018coronary heart disease\u2019 and \u2018cardiovascular disease\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we are going to explain what heart disease is. Then we\u2019ll focus on the type of heart disease that\u2019s the single biggest killer of males in Australia\u2014coronary heart disease. We\u2019ll look at the risk factors for heart disease and examine whether it affects men and women differently.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we\u2019ll talk about ways of preventing heart disease.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does the heart work?<\/b>
<\/b>
<\/span>The heart is the focal point of the circulatory system, a network of blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries) that carries blood to and from all areas of your body. Blood carries the oxygen and nutrients that your organs need to work properly. It also carries carbon dioxide to your lungs which is then breathed out. The heart has four chambers and four valves that open and close as it pumps. The pumping motion is created by electrical impulses that cause the heart muscles to contract and relax.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>What is heart disease?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Heart disease\u2019 is a general term covering several different diseases and conditions that can be put into the following four categories.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Cardiovascular disease<\/b>. This is a disease of the cardiovascular system, which consists of the heart and blood vessels. The most common cardiovascular disease is coronary heart disease (CHD), also known as ischaemic heart disease. This is the result of atherosclerosis, a build-up of fatty substances in the walls of the coronary arteries that causes them to become narrowed or blocked. This leads to less blood and oxygen reaching the heart muscle, which can result in heart attack or stroke.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Arrhythmias.<\/b> These are abnormal heart rhythms resulting from faults in the heart\u2019s electrical system. The faults cause your heartbeat to become too fast, too slow or irregular.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Heart failure.<\/b> This is where the heart muscle is damaged and does not pump properly. It can result from a variety of diseases, events and conditions such as heart attack, cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle) and uncontrolled high blood pressure.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Structural heart disease.<\/b> This refers to conditions that affect the heart\u2019s valves, walls, chambers or muscles. These include cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle), rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and heart valve disease.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Coronary heart disease (CHD)<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), CHD is the country\u2019s leading cause of death. The latest statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) state that in 2021 CHD was the underlying cause of 17,300 deaths (10% of all deaths). Figures from the same organisation suggest that CHD affects males more than females, with 3.8% of men having the condition in the period 2017\u201318, compared with 1.9% of women. At age 75 and over, there is a marked difference between men (21%) and women (8.1%) reporting having coronary heart disease.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It appears that, in Australia, more men are affected by heart disease than women. The AIHW uses the term \u2018acute coronary event\u2019 to describe sudden and life-threatening conditions that result in reduced blood flow to the heart. These conditions include heart attack, unstable angina (chest pain) and deaths due to acute coronary heart disease. In 2020, an estimated two-thirds (66%) of acute coronary events among people aged 25 and over occurred in men. When it comes to CHD specifically, rates of death caused by the condition were twice as high for males as for females. In the same year, CHD was responsible for a large proportion of premature deaths before age 75, especially in the male population\u201437% of males dying from CHD were aged less than 75 years, compared with 15% of females.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Risk factors for CHD in men and women<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Many of the risk factors for CHD apply equally to women and men. Some of these risk factors are modifiable (meaning that they can be changed) and others are non-modifiable (they cannot be changed).<\/span>
    <\/span>
    <\/span>Modifiable risk factors include<\/span><\/i>:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n