Inequality in The Management of Acs in Women

Abstract

Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in women, yet it is considered a man's disease. Management is made difficult by an often non-specific clinical presentation, delaying myocardial revascularisation. To improve the care pathway, no diagnostic strategy has been developed in the management guidelines. The aim of our study is to analyse the clinical features of coronary artery disease in Moroccan women through a retrospective study including 191 patients and to compare these data with those in the literature. The average age of the patients in our study was 62 years, and the most frequently found risk factors were menopause and hypertension. A history of coronary artery disease was present in 16.2% of patients. Chest pain was the main symptom in 91% of cases. The average admission time was 24 hours. STEMI accounted for 40% of clinical presentations and IVA was the most common coronary artery lesion. We report gender disparities in pathophysiology and clinical presentation affecting time to treatment. The longer delays in treatment found in our study may be related to a lack of awareness, a lack of resources but also to a particular social environment.