Drug secondary prevention in postmenopausal women with ischemic heart disease.
It is known that, in comparison with men, women with cardiovascular disease are undertreated, including drug treatment. This aspect was less studied with respect to drugs used for secondary prevention.


METHODS
In an urban Romanian community there was studied a representative sample of 150 postmenopausal women with cardiovascular disease (62.7% of them with ischemic heart disease-IHD). We considered the secondary prevention by drugs. The results were compared with those registered in a similar sample of 160 men aged >55 years with cardiovascular disease (68.1% of them with IHD). The study was carried out using general practitioner's files.


RESULTS
According to the literature, there were considered as preventive drugs: antiplatelet agents, statins, beta blockers and ACEI. Aspirin was used in 56.4% of the women and 72.5% of the men (p<0.05), ACEI in 69.1% and 79.8 % (p>0.05), beta blockers in 69.1% and 74.3 % (p>0.05) and statins in 48.9% and 48.6% (p>0.05). The results show that antiplatelet drugs are underused in ischemic patients, but especially in women. The maximum use of preventive drugs in women was registered after acute myocardial infarction (beta blockers 85.7%, statins 50%, aspirin 60.7%, ACEI 75%). In turn, the myocardial revascularization by CABG and PCI is low in both groups, but much less in women than in men: CABG 1.1% in women, 4.6% in men p>0.05, PCI 5.3% in women and 13.8% in men p<0.05.


CONCLUSIONS
In postmenopausal women with ischemic heart disease the secondary prevention by drugs is similar with that applied in men, except aspirin and ACEI, which are underused.
Zdrenghea
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Department of Cardiology, Rehabilitation Hospital, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. dzdrenghea@yahoo.com
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D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012383:Romania; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D012737:Sex Factors; D014505:Urban Population
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D001241:Aspirin