For decades, heart disease has been named as one of the foremost killers in men. When factors such as stress and anxiety combine with societal pressures and workplace expectations, the body's cardiovascular system takes the brunt of the damage, along with the psychological make-up. However, this problem has been on a statistic decline over the years, with the fatality rate from heart diseases showing a slow decrease in incidence rates.

However, a deeper analysis of the statistics would also reveal an alarming trend. The number of men dying from heart disease has managed to level off to a more or less steady statistic, but the number of women under 45 experiencing this problem has been on a steady increase.

Researchers have admitted to being stumped by this development, particularly because no one saw this coming. Some are casting doubt on the theory that this is among the side effects of work-related stress on women, partially because there are no credible statistics to support this statement, and partially because if this was the case, that would have been an issue far earlier on. For the time being, most experts are willing to hold off final judgment until more data comes in. There is currently no indication that this is some sort of trend, or if this is going to last. So, for the medical establishment, it is best to wait for more concrete, long-term data to come in than force a speculation at this point.

One other theory that has experienced some degree of credibility comes in the form of the increasing number of women that are becoming obese. Being overweight and obese can weaken the cardiovascular system and cause a variety of heart-related problems, so this theory is might have some basis in fact. If the use of weight loss pills is any indication, then obesity is definitely on the increase alongside the hike in the number of cases of heart ailments. Diabetes, which has also been on an upward trend over the last decade, had also been linked to heart ailments. The increasing number of men and women who develop some form of diabetes is increasing, which also explains the apparent increase in the number of women with heart problems.

The data also presents an interesting contrast in terms of heart ailment prevalence between men and women. For women above 45 years old, the statistics show a slow decline but the increase of heart ailment diagnosis among younger women is on the rise. For the most part, the downward trend for heart-related deaths in young women below 35 was expected to be significantly lower than for women in higher age brackets. However, the data is clearly showing that things are headed in the opposite direction, which puzzles most researchers and health experts. Currently, the numbers simply don't indicate what particular segments of the female population are being affected, which has prompted some research groups to dedicate studies eliminating or considering possible factors, such as genetics, hereditary conditions, and lifestyle.