Skip to main content

CVD Mortality Higher in Women Than Men With Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on May 13, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, May 13, 2025 -- For patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID), cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality decreased from 1999 to 2020, but sex disparities persist, according to a research letter published online May 5 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Issam Motairek, M.D., from the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues analyzed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Multiple Cause of Death files from 1999 to 2020 to identify CVD-related deaths with underlying IMIDs to examine sex differences in mortality. A total of 127,149 CVD-related deaths were analyzed out of 281,355 IMID-associated deaths.

The researchers found that for women, crude mortality rates decreased from 3.9 to 2.1 per 100,000, while for men, the decrease was from 1.7 to 1.2 per 100,000 during the same period. Age-adjusted mortality rates for women decreased from 3.3 to 1.4 per 100,000 from 1999 to 2020, while the rates decreased from 2.3 to 1.1 per 100,000 for men. Throughout the study period, women had a significantly higher mortality rate than men (mortality rate ratio, 1.5), reversing typical sex patterns. Significant declines were seen in mortality rates in both sexes, but women consistently exhibited higher mortality rates; these differences persisted while narrowing and were still significant in the final year of follow-up. Within the cohort, ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease were the main contributors to mortality, and both disproportionately affected women with IMIDs.

“Our study highlights the significant burden of cardiovascular disease in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, which disproportionately affect women,” senior study author Heba S. Wassif, M.D., M.P.H., from the Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic, said in a press release. “It is critical to screen for and address cardiovascular risk factors early, at the time of diagnosis and periodically thereafter.”

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted May 2025

Read this next

Apnea During REM May Affect Brain Regions Related to Memory Consolidation

TUESDAY, May 13, 2025 -- Greater obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)-related hypoxemia is associated with frontoparietal cerebrovascular pathology, which is linked to reduced medial...

Survivorship Interest, Knowledge Limited in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors

TUESDAY, May 13, 2025 -- About one-third of head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) survivors who have undergone radiation therapy (RT) are interested in, prioritize, and have...

USPSTF Continues to Recommend Syphilis Screening Early in Pregnancy

TUESDAY, May 13, 2025 -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for syphilis during pregnancy. This recommendation forms the basis of a final...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.