Women shortchanged in heart treatment
Posted on: Monday, 8 December 2008, 22:24 CST
Some recommended treatments for heart attacks are delayed and underused in women, U.S. researchers have found.
The researchers reviewed the clinical characteristics, treatments and outcomes of more than 78,000 patients diagnosed with myocardial infarction admitted to 420 U.S. hospitals from 2001 to 2006.
Men and women have about the same in-hospital death rate for heart attack. However, women are twice as likely to die if hospitalized for a more severe type of heart attack.
The study, published in the Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, found that among patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction -- STEMI -- the death rate was 10.2 for women compared to 5.5 for men.
The study also found that women were:
-- 14 percent less likely to receive early aspirin.
-- 10 percent less likely to receive beta blockers.
-- 25 percent less likely to receive reperfusion therapy to restore blood flow.
-- 13 percent less likely to receive angioplasty within 90 minutes of hospital arrival.
The finding that bears the most emphasis is that among both men and women presenting to Get With The Guidelines participating hospitals, there were no clinically meaningful differences in in-hospital survival after heart attack, once we factored in differences, such as age and other existing illnesses,
Dr. Hani Jneid of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the lead author, said in a statement.
Source: United Press International
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