What are the risk factors for coronary artery disease in men and women? Are women at higher risk after menopause?
For the most part, the risk factors for coronary artery disease in men and women are the same. These include: cigarette smoking, family history of coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, elevation of serum blood lipid levels, and diabetes mellitus. However, there are subtle differences between men and women with regards to how strong these risk factors may be. For example, women are particularly affected by a low HDL level. HDL is the good cholesterol, and we want that to be as high as possible. Diabetes mellitus in women seems to have an even more prominent heart disease promoting effect than in men. A general rule is that women with diabetes are at risk for heart disease at an earlier age than women without diabetes – similar to the pattern seen in men. Therefore, women with diabetes are at greater risk for heart disease. Also, smoking causes an especially great increase in risk of heart disease for women, even more than in men. The second part of this question, are women at hi
