The well-known differences between the sexes for cardiovascular disease, where women have less risk and a lower death rate, disappear after MI research suggests.

A large data-based study shows the rate of recurrent MI and all-cause mortality for those with coronary heart disease is more similar between the sexes among those who have had MI.

“Women have a biological advantage over men in terms of heart disease: they get it less frequently and at an older age,” said author Dr Mark Woodward of Imperial College London, UK.

“This study shows that…this natural advantage is considerably less amongst people who survive a heart attack; the rates of recurrent heart attack are much more similar between the sexes.”