Men develop dodgy heart years before women do

Men are being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat condition a decade earlier than women on average, a major study has shown. Being overweight is a major risk factor for the condition, which is known as atrial fibrillation. It happens when the upper chambers of the heart quiver instead of beat, causing symptoms of dizziness, tiredness and shortness of breath. It increases the risk of stroke by five times and more than triples the risk of dying. Study author Dr Christina Magnussen, of the University Heart Centre in Hamburg, Germany, said it was crucial to better understand the risk factors that we are in control of. She recommended men and women lose weight, adding: ‘If prevention strategies succeed in targeting these risk factors, we expect a noticeable decline in new onset atrial fibrillation.’ This would lead to less illness, fewer deaths and lower health costs. Researchers reviewed records of 80,000 people aged 24 to 97 in four studies in europe. The participants did not have atrial fibrillation at the outset.

later assessments of their health showed that 4.4 per cent of the women and 6.4 per cent of the men had been diagnosed with the condition.

Diagnosis rates jumped when men were 50 or older and women were 60 or older. By age 90, the condition had developed in 24 per cent of all participants.

The study, published in the journal Circulation, found that men who had been diagnosed were more likely than women to have a high body mass index.

Researchers were surprised to find that higher cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease, lowered the likelihood of diagnosis, especially in women, although exactly why is not clear.

‘Triples risk of dying’