Influence of gender in chronic coronary artery disease

Women with chronic coronary disease are often older, have more comorbidities, but less atherosclerosis than men. Here, researchers explored gender differences in revascularization in patients with chronic coronary disease with stress ischemia, with or without invasive management. The ISCHEMIA (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches) trial involved 1168 women (22.6%) and 4011 (77.4%) men. Overall, women had less extensive coronary disease and lower revascularization rates in the invasively managed group. Despite lower risk factors, risk-adjusted outcomes were similar between men and women.