27 Nov STEMI Outcomes Improve For Both Genders, But More So For Men
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Stefano Savonitto
Director, Division of Cardiology
Manzoni Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Over the last 15 years, there has been a shift from fibrinolytic therapy for STEMI to primary angioplasty, which required a re-organization of the whole STEMI treatment network. Besides the higher reperfusion efficiency of primary angioplasty, as compared to lytic therapy, it has been a global upgrade of the STEMI care system that has reduced the rate of no reperfusion.
Elderly patients and women (who are, on average, also older than men) had theoretically the most to gain from this shift, but little data were available to assess this benefit.
In the present paper, we have shown that “lack of reperfusion” was reduced dramatically across all age groups and in both sexes, with a progressive and uniform increase in primary angioplasty, and a significant reduction in mortality. Almost as expected, elderly women were the category with the most relevant mortality benefit.
Nevertheless, after adjustment for age and other confounders, women continue to experience a higher mortality as compared to men. In the discussion of the paper, we propose some hypotheses for this persistently higher mortality in women.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
The good news: STEMI mortality reduction in both sexes and at all ages.
The bad news: the persistently higher mortality in women, as compared to men.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: Particularly elderly women should be a matter for future research: they are, indeed, more fragile, and more prone to complications, both from drugs and from invasive procedures
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Response: Thank you for the attention paid to our research.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
De Luca L, Marini M, Gonzini L, Boccanelli A, Casella G, Chiarella F, De Servi S, Di Chiara A, Di Pasquale G, Olivari Z, Caretta G, Lenatti L, Gulizia MM, Savonitto S.
J Am Heart Assoc. 2016 Nov 23;5(12). pii: e004202.
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Last Updated on November 27, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD