[Epidemiology and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in women].

Some Italian data on frequencies of cardiovascular diseases in women are reported. Recent data, published by ISTAT (1987), record that diseases of the circulatory system represent 50% of all deaths and cardiovascular events happen over 75. Mortality rates for cardiovascular diseases, aged 0-74, are lower than in men of the same age group. Coronary and cerebrovascular events recorded by the MONICA register in the Area Latina are lower in women than in men with a ratio of 3:1 and 3:2 respectively. Fatality rate is higher in women than in men. Incidence rate of definite coronary events assessed by population samples is 2.2 per 1000 per year in women aged 40-69. On cardiovascular risk factors few Italian data are published. Some data from American studies reported for women the prediction of risk factors, such as serum cholesterol, blood pressure, and smoking habit; an independent role is played by diabetes and obesity.