More women than men survive cardiac arrest
A woman who suffers cardiac arrest has a greater chance of surviving than a man. This according to a study that Johan Herlitz, professor in pre-hospital emergency care at Borås University, is presenting. The study will be published in Heart magazine. It has long been known that it is an advantage to be a woman when suffering cardiac arrest outside a hospital, but the clear connection has now been established. Gender is as important as other factors such as age and the time it takes for help to arrive. Herlitz calls the finding surprising. He fed a number of factors into his study of people who had suffered cardiac arrest, and found, not unexpectedly, that quick help was of importance. Herlitz’ study also proves that the female hormone estrogen might play a part. “But it could be something else,” Herlitz points out. Of the patients ages 55 to 60 who arrived at the hospital following cardiac arrest, 80 percent were women. In the 70 to 80 age group, when the estrogen levels have decreased, the number between men and women were more equal.