Differences Between Men & Women in Treatments for a Heart Attack

Research continues to show discrepancies in how men and women with heart disease receive help. The differences between men and women in treatments for a heart attack are both surprising and disturbing.

History

• Medical professionals acknowledge a history of inadequate effort in treating female heart disease. "There exists an apparent disparity in treatment for heart disease between men and women," says Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "The reason for this disparity is likely to be due to a combination of gender bias and a general lack of information."

Significance

• A 1995 University of Washington study discovered that women are less likely to receive early treatment following a heart attack and 26 percent more likely to receive a do-not-resuscitate order.

Size

• Women possess smaller hearts and arteries than men, and their heart muscle beats faster while taking longer to relax between beats. Drastic differences in the workings of the female heart may contribute to a much higher fatality rate.

Paramedics

• A 2006-2007 study undertaken by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine showed that emergency medical responders often failed to provide women with typical emergency heart medications like aspirin and nitroglycerin.

Surgery

• Women with heart attacks or angina (severe chest pain) are less likely to be referred for angiography, a procedure that opens clogged arteries to prevent attacks. "It is debatable whether this reflects under use of angiography in women or overuse in men," says Dr. Judith Hsia of George Washington University.