Women smokers have more heart risk than men

NEW YORK - Women who smoke cigarettes are more likely to develop heart disease than men who smoke, with the risk for women increasing every year that they smoke, according to a study.

The authors, led by Rachel Huxley of the University of Minnesota, reviewed studies published between 1966 and 2010 on 2.4 million people, including 44,000 cardiac events.

They found female smokers have a 25 percent greater risk for coronary heart disease than male smokers - the difference increases by 2 percent for each year women smoke.