Young and middle-aged adults are just as likely to have a heart attack today as they were at the turn of the century new research reveals.

This finding published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology follows an analysis involving roughly 230,000 heart attack patients between the ages of 30 and 54. Between 2001 and 2010, all received care at more than 1,000 hospitals across 44 states.

While 3/4 of the patients were men both genders were found to face at least as high a risk for a heart attack by the decade’s end as they had at the beginning. Both men and women also saw the frequency with which health complications arose go up during the study period.

But overall, women particularly black female patients were more likely to experience congestive heart failure, renal failure, diabetes, high blood pressure, or pulmonary disease.

Women also had longer hospital stays than men and a greater risk for dying in the hospital.

Why? The investigators said more research is needed before determining exactly what is driving the gender gap.

I’m Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV with news you can use for healthier living.

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