London: Middle-aged women are at the same risk of suffering from angina as men, according to a new report from researchers at University College London.

Angina, in which the arteries narrow and harden around the heart is also more common in both men and women.

The UK study looked at more than 100,000 patients aged between 45 and 89 suffering from angina and concluded that the prognosis for women is also far worse than for men with higher death rates, and doctors should give me more to investigating females.

In developed countries two women out of every 100 develop angina each year.
Symptoms include chest pain, breathlessness and poor circulation. Stopping smoking, increasing exercise and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol can reduce symptoms. Usually it is treated with a bypass, angioplasty in which the arteries are held open or drugs.

Women are protected from heart disease before the menopause by high oestrogen levels, which may hinder the development of problemsby improving blood flow and arterial flexibility.

The study, published yesterday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was funded by the British Heart Foundation.