Men Have Higher Risk, Earlier Onset of Premature Cardiovascular Disease

TUESDAY, Feb. 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Men have a significantly higher risk for premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) and a significantly earlier onset compared with women, according to a study published online Jan. 28 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Alexa A. Freedman, Ph.D., from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues used data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study involving U.S. adults aged 18 to 30 years enrolled in 1985 to 1986 and followed through August 2020. Sex differences were examined in the cumulative incidence of premature CVD (onset younger than 65 years), overall, and for coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure, and stroke.

The researchers found that men had a significantly higher cumulative incidence of CVD, CHD, and heart failure among the 5,112 participants with a median follow-up of 34.1 years; there was no difference in stroke. A 5 percent incidence of CVD was reached by men 7.0 years earlier than women (50.5 versus 57.5 years). CHD was the most frequent subtype of CVD and 2 percent incidence was reached by men 10.1 years earlier than women. A 2 percent stroke incidence and 1 percent heart failure incidence were reached by men and women at similar ages. At an index age of 35 years, 10-year CVD event rates diverged.

“Sex differences in cardiovascular disease risk are apparent by age 35, highlighting the importance of initiating risk assessment and prevention strategies in young adulthood,” Freedman said in a statement.

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