Women and the management of acute coronary syndrome.
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both men and women in the developed countries. Despite this fact, females are still under-represented in the majority of clinical trials. At the present time, only limited evidence is available with respect to the female-specific aspects of pathogenesis, management, and outcomes in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Women less frequently undergo coronary intervention, and a lower proportion of women receive evidence-based pharmacotherapy, compared with men. It has been shown that women benefit from an invasive approach and coronary intervention in ACS as much as men, despite their advanced age and higher rate of bleeding complications. Also, administration of beta-blockers, ACE-inhibitors, and intensive statin therapy is associated with a comparable reduction of cardiovascular event rates in women and men. On the other hand, women may profit less than men from fibrinolytic or glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor therapy. Both sexes benefit equally from aspirin therapy, whereas contradictory data are available on the efficacy of clopidogrel in women. There is an urgent need for intensive research in the development of female-specific therapeutic strategy in ACS, even though the detailed mechanisms of sex differences are still unknown.
Cardiovascular Center, Department of Cardiology, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic. ostadal.petr@gmail.com
Petr
P
Ostadal
Bohuslav
B
Ostadal
D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D062645:Percutaneous Coronary Intervention / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System / Q000187:drug effects; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000925:Anticoagulants; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex