The widely held belief that women are less likely to survive a heart attack than men has been challenged by a new study published by the American College of Cardiology. Reviewing data on more than 200,000 people in Scotland following their first heart attack, researchers found that women actually had a better overall prognosis than men.

The reason for the difference, they suggested, is that women are more likely than men to reach a hospital alive following a heart attack. Although they did not do as well as men once they were hospitalized, that was probably because more of them survived long enough to be hospitalized. Men typically died before they got to the hospital. Thus the women who reached the hospital were in a more critical state than the men.

Using the heart attack instead of hospitalization as the starting point, the researchers found that mortality rates for men were worse after one month. There were no differences in one-year survival rates.

This data underscores the importance of getting to the hospital quickly if you think you are having a heart attack. Click here for important information on the symptoms of a heart attack.

Only about one in five patients gets to the hospital within one hour of the onset of heart attack symptoms; this is the time in which they could obtain the greatest benefit of treatment. Experts estimate that death and disability could be greatly decreased if people get to the hospital quickly. The American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute have recently launched educational programs designed to emphasize the importance of dialing 911 if there is any question about your symptoms.

Related information Basic facts - Disease risks

Sources:

• American College of Cardiology. Gender differences in heart attack survival depend on what happens before hospitalization. Press release, Sept. 2001.
• Faxon D, Lenfant C. Timing is everything - motivating patients to call 911 at onset of acute myocardial infarction. Circulation 2001;104(11):1210.