A study supported by the National Institutes of Health reveals that women aged 55 and younger are nearly twice as likely to be rehospitalized within a year following a heart attack compared to their male counterparts. This increased risk may stem from higher rates of risk factors such as obesity, heart failure, depression, and low-income levels prevalent in this demographic. Approximately 40,000 American women in this age group experience heart attacks annually, necessitating closer health monitoring post-discharge. Research analyzed data from almost 3,000 patients and found that nearly 30% were rehospitalized in the year after their heart attack, with women presenting 1.65 times the rehospitalization risk compared to men.
Notably, non-cardiac hospitalizations for women were more than double those of men, attributed to issues like digestive problems, depression, and pneumonia. The study underscores the importance of addressing both cardiac and non-cardiac factors affecting women’s health outcomes. With a significant percentage of women identifying as low-income and having a history of depression, the findings highlight the need for targeted clinical interventions and further research to narrow the health equity gap in heart attack recovery for younger women.
