Many of the mechanisms responsible for cardiovascular disease and hypertension are well known, and gender is an independent risk factor in many cohorts. How gender contributes to cardiovascular disease has not been completely elucidated. Even in normotensive populations, blood pressure is higher in men than women, although why this occurs is unclear. While both men and women suffer from high incidences of cardiovascular disease, women are typically protected against cardiovascular disease until after menopause, so that on average they are about 10 years older than men when these diseases...