TIME Magazine
How New Heart-Scanning Technology Could Save Your Life
More and more, doctors are diagnosing coronary disease without any invasive tests whatever
One Meal to Good (or Bad) Health
Everyone knows a good diet is important for long-term well-being. But a new study shows that it's also crucial for good health today
Cardiac Arrest at 25? It Happens — and More Often
Deaths from sudden cardiac arrests are on the rise among young adults, a new CDC study suggests. Most at risk? Young women
Testing for Heart Risk More Cheaply
Fast, inexpensive, noninvasive patient exams offer hope for more effective treatment of heart disease in the developing world
The No. 1 Killer of Women
More than 500,000 women in the U.S. die each year of cardiovascular disease, making it, not breast cancer (40,000 deaths annually), their No. 1 killer
Another Win for Vegetables
New research suggests that eating a mixture of vegetables reduces hardening of the arteries in mice
Why Men Go to the Hospital
Because men tend to delay care and treatment of disease, their prognosis once they wind up in the hospital is worse than it is for women and girls
How Stress Harms the Heart
Studies show that chronic stress contributes to heart attacks and other disease, and researchers think it's time to make stress reduction a medical priority
Get Moving!
Americans today aren't burning enough calories to maintain good health. Being inactive is as bad as being overweight
Obesity Is Contagious, Study Finds
Research shows that who you're friends with can have a profound impact on whether you're overweight
Why Men Go to the Hospital
By DAVID BJERKLIE
Posted Friday, Jun. 16, 2006 Men and boys account for just over 46% of all non-obstetrical hospitalizations. But because they tend to delay the care and treatment of disease, their prognosis once they wind up in the hospita is on average worse than it is for women and girls, according to the latest statistics from the government's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The in-hospital death rate for males in 2003 was about 12% higher than for females, even though the average age of hospitalized males was nearly five years younger. The average daily hospital charge for males was also 13% higher.
Nearly one in four hospital stays among males was for a condition of the circulatory system, with coronary atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) the most common reason. A number of conditions were also seen at much higher rates among hospitalized men. For example, admission rates were between 50% to 200% higher for reasons such as alcohol-related mental disorders, heart attacks, hepatitis, gout, alcohol-related liver disease, injuries due to motor vehicle accidents, head injuries, arterial aneuryms and crushing or internal injuries. How come? In the dry, but telling language of the government report, "Many of these conditions are related to lifestyle."
The top 10 conditions for which men were hospitalized and number of admissions, based on 2003 data (the most recent) were:
1) Coronary atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
764,900
2) Pneumonia (except that caused by tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases)
626,400
3) Congestive heart failure
517,900
4) Heart attack
443,400
5) Nonspecific chest pain
378,000
6) Cardiac dysrhythmias (irregular heart beat)
344,200
7) Complication of medical devices (for example, from heart monitors)
310,800
8) Back problems
309,700
9) Depression or bipolar disorder
278,300
10) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
273,100
What it means: The conventional wisdom that men don't take such good care of themselves tends to be true.
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