The leading cause of death among women in France is not breast cancer, but cardiovascular diseases. (Credit: Illustrative image Gragos Condrea/Bigstock)
With 200 deaths per day, "cardiovascular diseases are the second leading cause of death in France but remain the top cause among women, far ahead of breast cancer," stated a report from the French National Academy of Medicine at the beginning of 2025. Furthermore, women are less likely than men to survive cardiac arrests, according to the same source, which notes that "the overall hospital mortality rate is 9.6 percent for women compared to 3.9 percent for men."Why? Several factors are at play. Changes in women's lifestyles (smoking, stress, sedentary routines...) expose them more to this type of health issue. But there are also more structural factors, such as a greater reluctance to perform cardiac massage on a woman, the fact that heart attacks are still too often associated with men, or the lack of knowledge...
With 200 deaths per day, "cardiovascular diseases are the second leading cause of death in France but remain the top cause among women, far ahead of breast cancer," stated a report from the French National Academy of Medicine at the beginning of 2025. Furthermore, women are less likely than men to survive cardiac arrests, according to the same source, which notes that "the overall hospital mortality rate is 9.6 percent for women compared to 3.9 percent for men."Why? Several factors are at play. Changes in women's lifestyles (smoking, stress, sedentary routines...) expose them more to this type of health issue. But there are also more structural factors, such as a greater reluctance to perform cardiac massage on a woman, the fact that heart attacks are still too often associated with men, or the lack of knowledge...
