Are there gender differences in patients presenting with unstable angina?

Background: There are limited studies on gender differences in patients wit h unstable angina. We investigated the influence of gender in these patient s in a tertiary referral centre. Methods and results: Three hundred and thi rteen consecutive patients (210 men and 103 women) with unstable angina wer e studied over a 42-month period. Patient characteristics, cardiovascular r isk factors and subsequent management including coronary artery bypass graf t (CABG) operation and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA ) were investigated. There was no difference in age [61.6 (11.0) (S.D.) yea rs for men vs. 63.5 (10.5) years for women]. Diabetes mellitus and hyperten sion were more common in women (diabetes, 11% vs. 23%, P = 0.007; hypertens ion, 32% vs. 52%; P = 0.001). The number of smokers was greater in men (73% vs. 46%, P = 0.00001). There was no difference in the prevalence of hyperc holesterolaemia or in the incidence of previous myocardial infarction, prev ious history of angina and family history of ischaemic heart disease. The d uration of unstable angina before presentation to the referring hospital wa s similar in both sexes. The use of aspirin, intravenous heparin and antian ginal drugs was also comparable in the two genders. The number of coronary arteries involved in men and women appeared similar tone vessel, 22% vs. 27 %; two vessels, 26% vs. 21%; three vessels, 52% vs. 52% in men and women, r espectively). The proportion of men and women who underwent subsequent reva scularisation was also similar (CABG, 31% vs. 33%; PTCA, 42% vs. 40%). The overall in-hospital mortality was higher in women (6.8% vs. 2.8%), but was not statistically significant (P = 0.18). Conclusions: Gender differences i n unstable angina manifest in the preponderance of selected risk factors in cluding diabetes mellitus and hypertension in women and smoking in men. The re is no difference in age, the degree of coronary artery involvement and t he subsequent management in a tertiary referral centre. (C) 2000 Elsevier S cience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.