Women’s Ischemic Syndrome Evaluation

Abstract

N umerous studies have found that women have poorer outcomes than men after a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including myocardial infarction (MI) and unstable angina. Explanations have included gender differences in pathophysiology and response to treatment, prehospital delays in symptom recognition and action, and gender differences in emergency medical services (EMS) evaluation and treatment. Recent reports of similar or better outcomes in women with ACS compared with men suggest that pathophysiological differences can be overcome with early, aggressive therapy. 1,2 Therefore, a focus on improving symptom recognition by women and their healthcare providers and on reducing prehospital delay has the potential to increase the proportion of women with ACS who are eligible for this aggressive treatment.