Coronary artery disease: what's different in women?
Schannwell, C.Mira.
Medizinische Klinik 101 Suppl. 1: 51-55
2006
ISSN/ISBN: 0723-5003 PMID: 16802520 Document Number: 603726
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality for women and men in developed countries. Although coronary artery disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in women, coronary heart disease in women is still clinically underestimated. Although the incidence of coronary heart disease increases with age in women, the clinical presentation of the disease lags 10 years behind that in men. Unfortunately, the routinely available noninvasive tests used to screen the presence of coronary artery disease have been relatively insensitive and nonspecific for women. However, recent advances in device application, adjunctive therapies and surgical techniques suggest that coronary revascularization strategies are safe and effective for women and men.