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| February 2 | |
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Heart disease and gender differences |
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A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that women may be treated differently from men for heart disease. The study followed nearly 2300 men and women who came to emergency rooms with symptoms associated with unstable angina, a sign of heart disease. Even with treatment, unstable angina carries with it an increased risk of illness and death. The authors found that women were just as likely to be admitted to the hospital as were the men. But women were less likely to receive invasive cardiac tests such as angiograms as well as noninvasive tests like echocardiography and exercise stress tests. The researchers found that even though the women were less likely to undergo cardiac procedures, their outcomes were better than the men. The men had a 2 fold higher risk of death at 30 days after presenting to the ER and a 23% higher risk of death up to 6 years later. In other words, male sex was associated with an increased risk of death or risk of having a cardiac event. Other studies have shown heart disease may not be considered as a diagnosis in women who initially present with chest pain; this study suggests that when women present with more severe symptoms, cardiac disease is considered. This study also shows us that doing more procedures doesn't necessarily lead to better outcomes. Obviously more research needs to be done.
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References
and Resources:
Roger VL; Farkouh ME, et al. Sex Differences in Evaluation and Outcome
of Unstable Angina. Journal of the American Medical Association;
2000; 283:646-652 |
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