HIV/AIDS claims the lives of more women between the ages of 15 and 44 than any other disease.

These findings were published Monday as part of the World Health Organization's (WHO) first-ever global study of women's health. The goal of the study was to ascertain where disparities in medical care between men and women and over a woman's lifetime continue to persist.

According to the 91-page report, "Women who do not know how to protect themselves from such infections, or who are unable to do so, face increased risk of death or illness."

In developing countries, up to one in five women die of HIV/AIDS, with unsafe sex being the highest risk factor.

Pregnancy-related complications were also among the primary causes of death, killing around 500,000 women per year; 99 percent of them are in developing countries.

For women over child-bearing age, the most common causes of death are heart disease and stroke. Overall, heart disease is the number one killer of women of all ages and is responsible for about 12 percent of female deaths.

Appeal for the developing world

Although women live an average of six to eight years longer than men, lack of access to medical care and contraceptives, along with a severe deficiency in knowledge of safe sex practices have taken their toll on the female gender.

The problem is most acute in developing countries - especially in Africa, where lack of resources is a contributing factor.

"We will not see a significant improvement in the health of women until they are no longer recognized as second-class citizens in many parts of the world," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan told journalists in Geneva.

gmb/AP/dpa/Reuters

Editor: Kate Bowen