What are the gender differences among patients with acute coronary syndromes?
Gender differences among patients with acute coronary syndromes have been explored in several studies, such as Hutchinson-Jaffe et al. (2010) looking at baseline characteristics, management, and outcomes; Akhter et al. (2009) looking at differences among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention; Blomkalns et al. (2005) looking at disparities in diagnosis and treatment; and Lansky et al. (2009) looking at the impact of gender and antithrombin strategy on early and late clinical outcomes. These studies have found that women tend to present with more comorbid conditions than men, have higher mortality rates, and have a higher risk of major bleeding when receiving glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors. Additionally, women have poorer access to treatment and are less likely to receive recommended treatments than men. Finally, pregnancy has been shown to influence outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndromes and should be taken into account when determining management strategies (Regitz-Zagrosek et al., 2011).  