Women respond as well as men to treatment of CAD
Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 | 
| Imported - Imported |
Women and men derive similar benefit from therapies used for coronary artery disease (CAD), even though women tend to have a higher prevalence of atherogenic risk factors than men.
Women and men derive similar benefit from therapies used for coronary artery disease (CAD), even though women tend to have a higher prevalence of atherogenic risk factors than men, according to investigators at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Because women have been underrepresented in clinical trials, little is known about the pathophysiology of CAD in women, and how it compares with that of men, lead author Dr. Stephen J. Nicholls and his associates write in the April 10th issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
That is why Dr. Nicholls and his team analyzed data from two clinical trials that employed serial intravascular ultrasound studies of coronary plaque progression. The trials included 251 female subjects and 727 male subjects, aged 30 to 70 years old, all of whom had at least one major epicardial coronary artery with stenosis between 20 per cent and 50 per cent.
On average, women were less likely to be Caucasian and had higher BMI, systolic blood pressure, and C-reactive protein levels at the baseline evaluation. They also had significantly higher levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.
Despite their risk profiles, females had less atheromatous plaque than men.
In contrast, gender did not affect the use of established anti-atherosclerotic therapies at baseline - statins, beta-blockers, aspirin and ACE inhibitors. Nor did it affect arterial wall remodeling at baseline or during the course of the trials.
Moreover, men and women exhibited similar improvements in plaque burden, as well as systolic blood pressure and levels of LDL cholesterol and C-reactive protein.
"These results add further support for the promotion of aggressive preventive measures to prevent morbidity and mortality from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in women," Dr. Nicholls and his associates conclude.
J Am Coll Cardiol 2007;49:1546-1551.
Because women have been underrepresented in clinical trials, little is known about the pathophysiology of CAD in women, and how it compares with that of men, lead author Dr. Stephen J. Nicholls and his associates write in the April 10th issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
That is why Dr. Nicholls and his team analyzed data from two clinical trials that employed serial intravascular ultrasound studies of coronary plaque progression. The trials included 251 female subjects and 727 male subjects, aged 30 to 70 years old, all of whom had at least one major epicardial coronary artery with stenosis between 20 per cent and 50 per cent.
On average, women were less likely to be Caucasian and had higher BMI, systolic blood pressure, and C-reactive protein levels at the baseline evaluation. They also had significantly higher levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.
Despite their risk profiles, females had less atheromatous plaque than men.
In contrast, gender did not affect the use of established anti-atherosclerotic therapies at baseline - statins, beta-blockers, aspirin and ACE inhibitors. Nor did it affect arterial wall remodeling at baseline or during the course of the trials.
Moreover, men and women exhibited similar improvements in plaque burden, as well as systolic blood pressure and levels of LDL cholesterol and C-reactive protein.
"These results add further support for the promotion of aggressive preventive measures to prevent morbidity and mortality from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in women," Dr. Nicholls and his associates conclude.
J Am Coll Cardiol 2007;49:1546-1551.
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