A patient's sex and gender influence cardiovascular disease outcomes, with women more likely to die after a first heart attack or stroke compared to men, according to an Oct. 20 Washington Post report.
For the report, Amy Huebschmann, MD, and Judith Regensteiner, PhD, researchers from Aurora-based University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus who study women's health and cardiovascular disease, wrote about recent findings in the industry.
Here are eight notes from their report:
- While a patient's sex can influence how cardiovascular disease develops, gender can influence how they are treated by healthcare providers.
- Scientific research that provides the basis of medical evidence for cardiovascular care often excluded women before the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993.
- Women have additional or different heart attack symptoms compared to men, including nausea, jaw pain, dizziness and fatigue.
- Women who have entered menopause or have Type 2 diabetes are at an equal risk of heart attack compared with men.
- Cardiovascular disease presents differently, with narrowed arteries in women compared to clogged arteries in men. Treatment options for narrowed arteries have lagged behind treatment options for clogged arteries.
- Women present with lower levels of blood markers indicating heart damage, which can lead to missed diagnoses of heart attack and coronary artery disease.
- Implicit gender biases among healthcare providers can influence cardiovascular care.
- Dr. Huebschmann and Dr. Regensteiner called for updated, more sex-specific medical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Read the full report here.