THE TURN OF THE QUESTION
Cardio-vascular diseases are the leading cause of death among women in France, in front of breast cancer. These figures, largely unknown, defeat the popular belief that men are more concerned by these pathologies. "It has been thought for a long time that heart disease, especially myocardial infarction, is the preserve of men, and women are catching up with men," says cardiologist Nicolas Danchin, invited on Thursday in the Tour de la question. on Europe 1.
Even more worrying, young women are more and more affected. "Between 1995 and 2015, the proportion of women under the age of 60 who have a heart attack has doubled to less than 14% and is now almost 30%." Women, including young people, may be affected by heart disease, "warns the professor of cardiology.
"Stress-prone women who take the pill and smoke are particularly exposed"
The increasing share of young women affected by heart disease is mainly due to the modern pace of life. "The lifestyle of women has changed in comparison to age 50. Every 5 years, we organize a survey and collect the data of people hospitalized for a heart attack," explains Nicolas Danchin.
"Women who are prone to stress, who take the pill, and who smoke, even young, are particularly vulnerable," says Isabelle Weil, president of the Ajila Foundation, which fights heart disease in women. "They are not conscious because they think that a heart attack is not for them, while young women have infarcts at age 35. The more they are at risk, the less they think they can be affected by these diseases. . "
"Young women smoke significantly more than young men"
In the elderly, men and women, infarction has decreased in recent years. "Among the elderly, we have implemented a screening against high blood pressure and public health policies such as the fight against smoking, it worked well on the population, except on young women," reports Nicolas Danchin.
"Young women do not have a decrease in smoking, and smoke significantly more than young men," worries the cardiologist.