title: [Drug usage of men and women with coronary heart disease. Results of the German Federal Health Survey 1998].
abstract: When managing the risk factors of coronary heart diseases, therapies using drugs play an important role. This present study analyses self-reported data on current drug usage of men and women with coronary heart disease. The data were collected as a part of a wider drug utilisation survey which in turn is a module of the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey 1998 (Bundes-Gesundheitssurvey 1998). This survey was compiled by conducting a standardised computer-assisted medical interview with a representative sample of the German population between the ages of 18 and 79 years. Of the 7099 participants, 209 of the women and 252 of the men affirmed having had a medically diagnosed coronary heart disease (CHD) such as angina pectoris and/ or myocardial infarction. Slightly more men (87.3%) were using drugs to treat CHDs than the women (86.1%). They (the men) also used more drugs on average (men 3.3, women 3.0). These differences however were not statistically significant. Clear and statistically significant differences were present in the usage of salicylic acid (men 54.4%, women 45.6%), HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (men 26%, women 15.3%) and cardiac glycosides (men 14%, women 25.8%). The higher usage prevalence rate of salicylic acid found in the men still remained after taking their age, social status and the region (east vs west) into account. The differences in the usage of specific drugs in the treatment of CHDs in men and women indicate a difference in prescription behaviour in the ambulatory medical care. Whether and to which extent gender-specific differences still remain today has to be decided by using current epidemiological data representative of the population.
authors.affiliation: Robert Koch-Institut, Berlin. knopfh@rki.de
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Knopf
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002301:Cardiac Glycosides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D020156:Salicylic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D002301:Cardiac Glycosides; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D020156:Salicylic Acid