High Blood Pressure is More Dangerous for Women Than Men

High blood pressure can be dangerous. Now, though, researchers have shown that it just might be more dangerous for women than men. They've found that there are significant differences in the mechanisms that cause high blood pressure in women as compared to men.

Although there's been a significant decline in cardiovascular disease mortality in men during the last 20 to 30 years, the same has not been true for women. In fact, heart disease has become the leading cause of death in women in the United States and accounts for approximately a third of all deaths. So why is there a difference between women and men? That's what the scientists set to find out.

"The medical community thought that high blood pressure was the same for both sexes and treatment was based on that premise," said Carlos Ferrario, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This is the first study to consider sex as an element in the selecton of antihypertensive agents or base the choice of a specific drug on the various factors accounting for the elevation in blood pressure."

The scientists evaluated 100 men and women aged 53 and older with untreated high blood pressure and no other major diseases. More specifically, they looked at exactly what was causing the high blood pressure--the heart of the blood vessels. The tests measured hemodynamic--the forces involved in the circulation of blood--and hormonal characteristics of the mechanisms involved in the development of high blood pressure.

So what did the researchers find? There was 30 to 40 percent more vascular disease in the women compared to the men for the same level of elevated blood pressure. In addition, there were significant physiologic differences in the women's cardiovascular system, including types and levels of hormones involved in blood pressure regulation that contribute to the severity and frequency of heart disease.

"Our study findings suggest a need to better understand the female sex-specific underpinnings of the hypertensive processes to tailor optimal treatments for this vulnerable population," said Ferrario in a news release. "We need to evaluate new protocols-what drugs, in what combination and in what dosage-to treat women with high blood pressure."

The findings are published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Cardiovascular Disease.