Introduction:

Gender stereotypes translate male conceptions and actions of illness and self-care, implying in health indicators.

Objectives:

To estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and ischemic heart disease in men; to discuss the relationship between masculinity and exposure to cardiovascular risk factors and these diseases.

Methods:

Epidemiological, descriptive and retrospective study, realized through secondary data originated from Vigitel and DATASUS, for adult men, in Brazil, of the 2010-2014 period.

Results:

Men, compared to women, had higher prevalence of smoking (22.5 %), overweight (56.5 %), abusive alcohol consumption (23.4 %), physical inactivity (16.2 %) and longer television time (25.8 %). They were victims of higher mortality from Angina Pectoris (51.4 %), Acute Myocardial Infarction (58.9 %) and Chronic Ischemic Heart Disease (55.8 %), with a growing trend, in the last five years. Male behaviors express health care resistance and are associated with socio-cultural and institutional factors that, together or individually, potentialize the exposure to risk situations and the difficulty of recognize their needs and seek the health services.

Conclusion:

Men are more expose to risk factors and cardiovascular disease mortality and social constructions of gender are determinants of the health-disease process.

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