Women who smoke after suffering a heart attack are at a greater risk for a second heart attack and other complications than male smokers are, a new study finds.

Researchers from the University of Michigan reviewed the records of 3,588 patients who were admitted to the hospital with a heart attack from 1999 to 2006. Of them, 24 percent were active smokers.

On average, the male smokers had heart attacks nine years earlier than the non-smoking men. The female smokers suffered heart attacks 13 years earlier than the non-smokers. The average age for heart attack was 55 for the male smokers, compared to 64 for the non-smokers. For women smokers, the average age was 56 compared to 69 for non-smokers.

The study also tracked the rate of complications among those who had suffered a heart attack, and found that at six months, 13.5 percent of the female smokers needed emergency treatment to restore blood flow to their heart, compared to only 4.4 percent of the male smokers.

Although the study did not explore the reasons why women experienced more complications, we know that women have smaller coronary arteries than men. Therefore, it stands to reason that smoking causes more damage to these smaller vessels.