Nov 02, 2013 04:34 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Women, who are younger than 60 years old and suffering from type-2 diabetes, face greater risk of coronary artery disease than previously believed, according to a John Hopkins study.

 Generally, it is assumed that women under 60 have less risk of developing coronary heart disease than men. The latest study shows that women with diabetes have four times higher chance of heart disease.

For the study, the researchers gathered data of 10,000 people from three highly regarded medical surveys. None of the participants had a history of heart disease at the start of the study.

"Our findings suggest that we need to work harder to prevent heart disease in women under 60 who have diabetes," Rita Rastogi Kalyani, lead study author and endocrinologist, said in a official statement. "This study tells us that women of any age who have diabetes are at a high risk for coronary artery disease."

"Our study adds to growing evidence that gender differences exist in the risk of coronary artery disease brought on by diabetes."

Although men are generally at higher risk of getting heart disease than women, the study found that diabetes was not considered as a factor for developing the disease in this gender.

 Kalyani told dailyRx News, "Men in this age group have a high risk of heart disease to begin with and the additional presence of diabetes does not seem to increase the risk of heart disease substantially further."

The study has been published in the journal Diabetes Care.

"There may be distinct genetic and hormonal factors related to the development of heart disease by gender. Differences in adherence to heart-healthy lifestyle behaviors, compliance and treatment of cardiovascular treatments between genders are also possible but need to be further investigated" Kalyani said in a statement. "Also, the relationship of diabetes duration and glucose control to risk of heart disease remains unclear."

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