Women who suffer heart attacks or strokes often do not have what are traditionally considered major risk factors for common cardiovascular diseases.

Researchers say inflammation may help explain why heart attacks and strokes occur in women without the usual risk factors.

At a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Madrid, researchers noted that women experiencing heart attacks or strokes often lack common cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking.

A study report published in the scientific journal European Heart followed 12,530 women over three decades who were healthy at the start and had no traditional risk factors.

Women who began the study with elevated levels of an inflammation marker called C-reactive protein (CRP), measured by high-sensitivity tests, were 77% more likely to develop coronary heart disease, 39% more likely to have a stroke, and 52% more likely to develop any cardiovascular disease compared to those with lower CRP levels.

High levels in the high-sensitivity test were defined as more than three milligrams per liter of blood.

While observational studies like this cannot prove inflammation causes cardiovascular disease, it is known that even low levels of inflammation over time can promote plaque buildup in arteries and trigger blood clots, the main cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Dr. Paul Ridker, lead author from the Cardiovascular Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital in Brigham, stated, “Our data clearly show that women who appear healthy but have inflammation are at significant lifelong risk.”

He added, “We need to identify these women in their 40s when preventive care can begin, rather than waiting until their 70s when it is often too late to make a real difference.”

Referring to data from previous randomized trials, the study team also concluded that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by more than one-third in women with inflammation who do not have traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Ridker said, “While women with inflammation should start preventive efforts to improve lifestyle habits, statin therapy can also play an important role in helping reduce their risks.”