Women on dialysis have a higher risk of heart failure and stroke than men do Lower levels of estrogen and inconsistent treatment could be the cause However, women are less likely than men to die from heart-related health problems FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Women have a higher risk of heart failure and stroke than men while undergoing dialysis for kidney failure, a new study shows. However, women also have a lower overall risk of dying than men, researchers found.
The bottom line: “Women have to be treated differently when it comes to their heart health,” said lead researcher Dr. Silvi Shah , an associate professor of nephrology and hypertension at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. “The study revealed significant sex differences in cardiovascular health,” Shah added in a university news release.
“These disparities between the sexes and disparities in care point to the need for more personalized heart care for women.” For the study, researchers tracked the health of more than 508,000 U.S.
kidney disease patients who started dialysis between 2005 and 2014. What did they find? Women undergoing dialysis had a 14% higher risk of heart-related health problems than men, including a 16% higher risk of heart attack and a 31% higher risk of stroke. “To the best of our knowledge, it’s the first time these findings of a higher risk of cardiovascular events in women than men among those with kidney failure who are on dialysis have been reported.