SEX DIFFERENCES IN CORONARY HEART DISEASE.

Says that in a paper published in the "Journal of Health and Social Behavior", researcher Johnson addressed the question: to what extent can sex differences in coronary heart disease be attributed to sex differences in standard risk factors such as blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and cigarette smoking? Johnson concluded that the observed sex differences in standard risk factors and associated elevations of risk can account for men's higher rates of coronary heart disease only at ages under 55, and not at older ages. One standard risk factor, cigarette smoking, does contribute to men's higher risk of coronary heart disease at all ages, but at older ages this effect is counterbalanced in the prediction equations by lower risks associated with other standard risk factors. The Coronary-prone Behavior Pattern is a risk factor that acts independently of the standard risk factors.