Paris, Oct 22: Women are more likely to die from a type of heart attack known as myocardial infarction (MI) than men, suggests the latest research.
MI occurs when blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked for a long enough time that part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies, (shown by ECG changes known as ST elevation).
“Previous studies on ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have shown that women have a worse prognosis (outcome), possibly due to longer management delays and less aggressive reperfusion (restoration of blood flow to an organ or to tissue) strategies,” said Guillaume Leurent from the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Rennes, France, who conducted the study.
Researchers analysed data from 5,000 patients included in the Observatoire Regional Breton sur l'Infarctus du myocarde (ORBI) registry over a six-year period in Brittany in France. They found that 1,174 patients (23.5 percent) were women, according to a statement of Centre Hospitalier Universitaire.
Women STEMI patients were older, with an average age of 69 years compared to 61 years for men. Women had more frequent hypertension, less current smoking.
Leurent said: “These results suggest that women need to be more vigilant about chest pains and request medical help quickly to reduce ischemic time.”
He added: “Women may take longer to call an ambulance when they have chest pains because they don't believe it can be a myocardial infarction. Most women believe myocardial infarction is a male problem.”
These findings were presented at the Acute Cardiac Care Congress 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey.
