MedWire News: Overall death rates due to heart disease have been steadily falling since the mid 1970s, but this downward trend may have halted in younger women and could soon start to rise, results of a UK study suggest.
The researchers warn that high levels of smoking and obesity, and low levels of physical activity among women under the age of 50 years may be responsible for the 'disturbing' findings.
Dr Steven Allender, from the University of Oxford, and colleagues studied data on all deaths in England and Wales between 1931 and 2005. They assessed how death rates due to heart disease have changed over time for men and women in various age groups.
Overall, the team found that deaths due to heart disease increased steadily throughout most of the last century, peaked in the 1970's and have been steadily falling since then.
However, further analysis showed that the steady decline in heart disease deaths among women under the age of 50 years has recently slowed significantly and may now have levelled off.
In contrast, heart disease deaths among men in this age group continue to fall.
The researchers also found that although heart disease death rates continue to fall in older age groups - possibly due to the availability of improved treatments and greater awareness of risk factors - more people are actually living with the disease due to the ageing of the population.
Dr Allender and team conclude: "The rate of improvement in coronary heart disease mortality appears to be beginning to decline and maybe even reversing among younger women."
They add: "This requires further study as the public health implications of a decline in survival from coronary heart disease in younger age groups may be stark."
Commenting, Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said: "It's a common misconception that heart disease is a male problem, yet cardiovascular disease is the biggest cause of premature death in women.
"Heart disease should be a very real issue for all women, and younger generations must take action now to cut down their risk."
The research is published in the journal BMC Public Health.