ROCHESTER, Minn. – Approximately 1.5 million heart attacks and strokes occur each year in men and women in the U.S. Gender and age play a major role in who experiences a heart attack, the techniques used for treating these heart attacks, and ultimately the hospital results of those who have a heart attack. Mayo Clinic researchers consider the gender and age differences in study results published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
In this study, Mayo Clinic researchers wanted to see if age was a major factor in gender-related differences in patients with a heart attack. Using public all-inclusive hospital data from the Nationwide Adult Patient Sample, the team of researchers evaluated more than 6.7 million hospital records for heart attacks. They classified the information by gender and divided the patients into four age groups: under 45, 45-64, 65-84 and older than 84.
To fully compare with the treatment given, patients were further categorized according to the type of heart attack. With STEMI heart attack, or increased ST myocardial infarction, a complete blockage of artery provides blood to the heart. With NSTEMI heart attack, or non-ST elevated myocardial infarction heart attack, there is no ST elevation, but major artery blockage is usually only partial.
The findings highlight several key points regarding gender and age differences, according to Mohamad Adnan Alkhouli, MD, an intervention cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic and the first author of the study.
Women had fewer heart attacks than men across all ages. However, with more women than men over the age of 84, more women experienced a heart attack in that age group. In the NSTEMI and STEMI groups, women had significant differences in their risk profiles for heart disease, compared to men. Women were more likely to develop hypertension, diabetes, anemia, atrial fibrillation, chronic lung disease and previous stroke. However, women were less likely than men to have had a previous heart attack and less likely to have a portable defibrillator, previous resuscitation or experience cardiogenic shock.
The data show a clear difference between the two sexes for the management of hospital-acquired heart attack. In the NSTEMI group, women of any age were less likely than men to receive coronary angiography images of heart blood vessels, angioplasty to open clogged artery with a balloon catheter, coronary artery bypass grafting to redirect blood flow, or receive mechanical circulatory support. In the STEMI group, women were also less likely to receive coronary angiography or primary angioplasty, or receive mechanical circulatory support. This was true across all age groups.
Compared to men, the data show that hospital outcomes are worse among limited women than those younger. In the NSTEMI group, women under 65 were more likely than men to die in hospital because of the heart attack. This difference in mortality in females versus males was also observed in patients under 85 in the STEMI group. For both types of heart attack, younger women were more prone to vascular problems and major strokes, although the same was not true for stroke and severe kidney injury.
“These data suggest that younger women in particular are at greater risk of major complications following a heart attack and should therefore be the focus of further research to identify strategies to increase their risk. to alleviate this, “said Dr Alkhouli.
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About Mayo Clinic Proceedings
Mayo Clinic Proceedings is a peer-reviewed medical journal that publishes original articles and reviews dealing with clinical and laboratory medicine, clinical research, basic science research, and clinical epidemiology. Mayo Clinic Proceedings supported by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research as part of their commitment to physician education. It publishes entries from authors around the world. The magazine has been published for over 90 years and has a circulation of 127,000.
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