[Sex differences in angina pectoris; a literature study]

Abstract

Objective: To gain insight into differences in frequency, presentation and course of angina pectoris between males and females.

Design: Literature study.

Setting: Department of General Practice, Social Medicine and Nursing Home Medicine, University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Methods: Articles were selected by automatized search systems (Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde, Huisarts en Wetenschap, Medline, FAMLI), with use of search terms, following which the relevance of the articles was assessed on the basis of title and abstract. Use was also made of publications on four major Dutch registration systems of general practices.

Results: The four articles on incidence and prevalence showed that angina pectoris occurs as often in males as in females. However, females on average were 10 years older at onset. In females, angina pectoris was more frequently the first manifestation of cardiovascular disease, as against myocardial infarction in males. No articles on research into the sex differences in presentation of angina pectoris were found. The course of angina pectoris (five articles) were more favourable in females: they less often developed myocardial infarction and the mortality rates after 5 and after 9 years were lower.

Conclusion: There were no differences between males and females in the frequency of angina pectoris, but in females the prognosis is better.