Long-term survival after coronary heart disease. Comparisons between men and women in a national sample

This study examined the sex differential in long-term survival after incident coronary heart disease (CHD) in the Epidemiologic Followup Study to the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This cohort was first contacted in 1971 to 1975 with follow-up through 1987. Of the 1407 white participants for whom CHD was identified at some point during the study, 56% of men and 46% of women died during the follow-up period. After adjustment for age at incidence, traditional heart disease risk factors, and initial coronary disease diagnosis, the relative risk of death among women compared to men was 0.70. Women's survival advantage after myocardial infarction was 0.81. Women who had ever taken post-menopausal estrogens were most likely to survive after CHD or myocardial infarction compared to men (relative risks [RRs] = 0.42 and 0.57, respectively), although women who did not take estrogen were also significantly more likely than men to survive after CHD (RR = 0.79) but not after myocardial infarction (RR = 0.88).