Women ‘more likely’ to die after heart attack

Women are 50 per cent more likely to die in the first year after a heart attack than men because of so-called “supermum syndrome” adding to the stress society places on them to get back on their feet quickly.

After accounting for age and gender differences in heart problems, scientists found the risk of death within a year was one and a half times greater for females. Professor Georg Schmidt, a cardiologist at the Technical University of Munich, said: “In everyday life, women often face different expectations after a heart attack than men. They are expected to start ‘functioning’ again sooner, so they are subject to bigger stresses.”