Women seeking care more regularly than men may explain why they fare better after a serious illness

Women tend to live longer than men after a major illness, and that may be explained by differences in how they seek treatment, finds a new study of older adults in Denmark. Researchers looked at differences in how more than 65,000 adults aged 60 and over accessed care before and after being admitted to the hospital for one of four major diseases, including heart attack and cancers of the digestive tract. Before being admitted to the hospital for a heart attack, for instance, only 1 in 7 women hadn't used primary care, compared to 1 in 4 men. And following hospitalization, 2% of men didn't visit their doctor, compared to 1% of women. Even when males used primary care services, they tended to have fewer visits, on average, compared to females. The findings only represent an association, but the authors write that future efforts should focus on ensuring that more people access primary care to improve their health outcomes.