Cardiovascular diseases represent the major cause of mortality in industrialized countries, including Switzerland, and affect a large percentage of hospitalized patients and patients seen in outpatient clinics. Recently, a decline in the incidence of cardiovascular diseases has been observed, associated with a general improvement in prognosis. This has been attributed to progress achieved in the treatment of many cardiovascular diseases, and to a better identification and treatment of various risk factors. Differences in the clinical manifestations of cardiovascular diseases have been observed between men and women. Women seem to be protected until the time of menopause. In this review, various epidemiological aspects of cardiovascular diseases in men and women are discussed.