More women than men dying of heart disease: Canadian study

Deaths and hospital admissions for heart disease in Canada have dropped by 30 per cent during the past decade, according to a new study to be published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. However, more women than men are dying of cardiovascular causes, especially elderly women. The study, touted as the first of its kind in Canada, analyzed data from Statistics Canada's national death registry, which contains information on the cause of all deaths in the country. The 10-year study, conducted between 1994 and 2004, showed high mortality rates and hospital admissions related to cardiovascular diseases - such as heart attacks, heart failure and stroke - in women. Of the patients who died of cardiovascular diseases in 1994, 49.3 per cent were women. That increased to 50.7 per cent a decade later. - Star Phoenix