What puts older women at risk of cardiovascular disease?

High resolution analysis of biological and environmental determinants of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular events in older women

Heart disease is the UK’s single biggest killer and women older than 65 years are at particular risk. The reasons for this remain unknown, which is a particular concern, given the ageing population. Dr Juan Casas and colleagues from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine are collaborating with a large multidisciplinary team from around the UK and also in Finland to try to answer the question of why heart and circulatory disease is particularly common in older women in the UK. The team will use information obtained from a large study of more than 4,000 women aged 60–79 years called the British Women’s Heart and Health Study. This study has collected detailed characteristics about where the women live and their lifestyle features such as level of physical activity. The researchers also have access to a lot of biological information about the women obtained from blood and DNA samples. The research hopes to identify the lifestyle and biological features of older women that may put them at particular risk. This knowledge will help to identify much-needed ways to prevent and treat heart disease in this vulnerable group.