[Cardiovascular risk of smoking by gender]

Abstract

In France, the increase in the prevalence of women's smoking has been major over the past 30 years. The consequences are a significant increase and an unusual precocity of all the women's cardiovascular (CV) pathologies (myocardial infarction, stroke and aortic pathologies). Associated factors (combined oral contraception, unequal distribution of other CV risk factors by sex) increase the CV impact of women's smoking. For the same tobacco use, women have a 25% higher risk of coronary heart disease than men. The risk awareness is lower in women than in men and medical management insufficient. For women, medications are more often needed to quit smoking. The medical management of women's smoking is a major public health priority.