Men and women are more likely to suffer a sudden heart attack for different reasons. For women, the common trigger is stress. For men, it's physical exertion.
University of Minnesota/Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation reported these findings April 24 at an American Heart Association forum in Honolulu. They studied 122 men and women who had suffered out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Participants filled out a questionnaire that included detailed information about activities prior to their sudden cardiac arrests. They were also asked about psychological factors such as whether they had experienced a divorce, death of a loved one, family conflicts or other significant life events.
Women were more likely to report that they had experienced one or more psychologically stressful events rather than physical exertion prior to cardiac arrest. Of the 20 women in the study, 40 percent said they experienced psychological stressors and only 5 percent reported physical exertion. Forty percent of the men reported physical stress and 16 percent reported emotional stress before their cardiac arrest.
"Sudden cardiac arrest is a huge public health burden, and we still don't completely understand all inciting events. This study suggests that emotional triggers may be important in some cases," said Dr. Norman Ratliff, a cardiology fellow at the foundation and lead author of the study.
Ratliff said physical exertion might cause an increased level of adrenaline for men, while emotional stress may cause the same rise in women. Adrenaline is a stress hormone that can cause rapid heart beats.
