MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION IN WOMEN

The leading cause of death in the United States is cardiovascular dise ase, regardless of gender. Women will more often have angina preceding their first myocardial infarct, but have more unrecognized infarction s than men. Women will be older, have more concomitant disease and pre sent later in the course of their acute myocardial infarction. Althoug h myocardial infarction may have similar clinical presentations in men and women, there are some important differences such as an increased incidence of non Q-wave myocardial infarctions in women, and the highe r rate of complication and immortality from a myocardial infarct. Wome n develop less collateral cardiac vessels, which may explain the incre ased rate of hemodynamic complications after a myocardial infarct. Bot h early and late survival rates are also affected by the advanced mean age of women when they do present with a myocardial infarct. There is less data regarding treatment modalities based upon gender difference s but in general, it appears that women benefit from established treat ment modalities in the acute setting and subsequent to the event. It h as been determined that there are epidemiologic differences, but patho physiologic and clinical factors specific to women in this setting hav e yet to be determined.