American researchers call on health professionals to be more vigilant when prescribing certain drugs, to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac arrest in women.
- The risk of death from nocturnal cardiac arrest is greater in women than in men
- Taking drugs that affect the brain may increase the risk
Sudden death in the middle of the night strikes women more frequently than men. According to a study published in Heart Rhythm, they are more likely to die from nocturnal cardiac arrest. “Dying suddenly at night is a disturbing and devastating phenomenon, points out Sumeet Chugh, author of this research and director of the Center for the Prevention of Cardiac Arrest. We were surprised to discover that being a woman predicts the possibility of such an event..”
A pathology different from heart attacks
Sudden cardiac arrest is caused by an electrical disturbance in the rhythm of the heart, which causes it to stop beating. They are different from heart attacks: they are the result of the accumulation of cholesterol on the walls of the coronary arteries, and they generate different premonitory symptoms. Most people survive a heart attack, however, only 10% of patients survive sudden cardiac arrest. In the United States, scientists estimate that 17 to 41% of sudden cardiac arrests occur during the night, between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Over-represented diseases
In this study, the researchers analyzed the scientific data related to 4,126 sudden cardiac arrests. Women were over-represented in cases that took place at night. According to the researchers, people with lung disease were also more numerous at night, as well as those who had recently smoked. “The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma was higher in cardiac arrests occurring at night, compared to those occurring during the day, regardless of gender.“, says Sumeet Chugh. He also notes that people who have cardiac arrest at night are more likely to take drugs affecting their brain, which can interrupt breathing.
How to protect women?
For Dr Chugh and his team, it is essential that doctors be more careful when prescribing drugs that can have an impact on the brain, such as sedatives, painkillers or anti-depressants, especially at women. “It is also necessary to continue to do research, based on gender, in cardiology“, specifies Christine Albert, who directs the cardiology department of the Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai, the medical center in which this study was carried out. French Federation of Cardiology, women are far from being spared from cardiac risk, contrary to popular belief. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for them, and in the past 15 years, the number of heart attacks has tripled among women under 50.
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