(October 27, 2009 - Insidermedicine)

From California – According to a report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, middle aged women are more commonly suffering heart attacks now than in the last 20 years. Researchers examined data on over 8,000 adults who participated in both National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. They found that rates of myocardial infarctions among women 35-54 increased from .7% in 1988 to 1% in 2004.  

From Atlanta – While heart attack rates are increasing for middle aged women, mortality rates from these heart attacks are decreasing, according to another study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Using data from the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction, researchers analyzed the amount of inhospital deaths that occured following an MI among over 900 000 patients. They found that, for middle aged women, deaths from heart attacks decreased over 50%.  

And finally, from Denmark - According to a report published in the journal Circulation, obesity increases risk of venous thromboembolism, especially when ones excess weight is around the waist and hips. Researchers analyzed data from the Danish "Diet, Cancer, and Health" study, examining the results of over 57,000 adult men and women. For every 5 cm increase in waist circumference, there was an 18% increased risk for men for both deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and a 21% increased risk for women.