February, 2016
A large study comparing the experiences of more than 10,000 patients with suspected coronary heart diseases has found that
- women have more risk factors for heart disease than men but are typically assessed to have lower risk
- women were older (62.4 vs 59), more likely to be hypertensive (66.6% vs 63.2%), and more likely to have a family history of early heart disease (34.6% vs 29.3%); they were less likely to smoke (45.6% vs 57%)
- women were more likely to be referred for imaging stress tests compared to men, but were less likely to have a positive test (9.7% vs 15%)
- chest pain was an equally common symptom (73% of women and 72% of men complained of this when presenting), but men were more likely to characterize their chest pain as a dull ache or a burning sensation, while women most often described it as crushing/pressure/squeezing/tightness.
- women were more likely than men to have back, neck, or jaw pain, and palpitations as the primary presenting symptoms
- men were more likely to have fatigue and weakness, although this was still unusual as the primary complaint.
http://www.futurity.org/women-heart-disease-1130252-2/
Hemal K, Pagidipati NJ, Coles A, et al. Sex Differences in Demographics, Risk Factors, Presentation, and Noninvasive Testing in Stable Outpatients With Suspected Coronary Artery Disease: Insights From the PROMISE Trial. J Am Coll Cardiol Img. 2016;9(4):337-346. doi:10.1016/j.jcmg.2016.02.001.
