Coronary artery disease (CAD) is still seen as a ‘man's disease' despite the fact that it kills as many women as men every year, doctors have warned.

CAD is the most common type of heart disease and occurs when the coronary arteries, which supply the heart with blood, become diseased or damaged. This is most often caused by atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). CAD can lead to angina, shortness of breath, heart failure and heart attacks.

According to the research paper, Coronary Artery Disease in Women: A 2013 Update, which has been published in Global Heart, the journal of the World Heart Foundation, some 8.6 million women worldwide die from heart disease, including CAD, every year.

In 2008, over 17 million people died as a result of heart disease, representing almost one in three global deaths. These deaths occurred almost equally between men and women. The number of heart disease deaths is projected to rise to over 23 million by 2030.

"CAD is a leading cause of death of women and men worldwide. Yet CAD's impact on women traditionally has been underappreciated due to higher rates at younger ages in men. Women have unique risk factors for CAD, including those related to pregnancy and autoimmune disease. Trial data indicate that CAD should be managed differently in women," the paper's authors said.

However despite its prevalence in women, they are less likely to receive preventative recommendations about CAD, such as advice on lifestyle and the use of aspirin.

The paper also pointed out that research indicates that CAD develops differently in women, with various risk factors affecting men and women in different ways. For example, obesity increases the risk of CAD by 64% in women, but just 46% in men.

And diabetes increases a woman's risk of developing CAD by three to seven times. However, in men, the risk is two to three times.

Other differences include family factors. When a woman has a first degree relative with CAD, they appear to have an increased risk of also developing CAD, compared to a man in the same position.

Meanwhile, the paper also noted that 42% of women who have CAD-related heart attacks die within 12 months, compared to 24% of men.

The authors concluded that women ‘are affected by CAD in large numbers and to a large degree'.

"CAD is the leading cause of mortality in women and its manifestation has unique characteristics in women. Increasing data demonstrate that some treatment strategies have sex-specific effectiveness. Further research is required. CAD is not a 'man's only' disease, and we eagerly await future studies that examine its unique presence in women," they added.

The authors, Dr Kavita Sharma and Dr Martha Gulati, are based at the Ohio State University in the US.

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