How Does Cardiovascular Disease First Present in Women and Men?. Issue 14 (6th October 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: George, Julie; Rapsomaniki, Eleni; Pujades-Rodriguez, Mar; Shah, Anoop Dinesh; Denaxas, Spiros; Herrett, Emily; Smeeth, Liam; Timmis, Adam; Hemingway, Harry
• Is Part Of: Circulation. Volume 132:Issue 14(2015)
• Publication Date: 2015-10-06
• Subjects: Blood -- Circulation -- Periodicals; Cardiovascular system -- Periodicals; Cardiology -- Periodicals; Heart -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Blood Circulation; Cardiovascular System; Vascular Diseases; 616.1
• DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.114.013797
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-7322

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec> <title>Background—</title> <p>Given the recent declines in heart attack and stroke incidence, it is unclear how women and men differ in first lifetime presentations of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). We compared the incidence of 12 cardiac, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular diseases in women and men at different ages.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Methods and Results—</title> <p>We studied 1 937 360 people, aged ≥30 years and free from diagnosed CVD at baseline (51% women), using linked electronic health records covering primary care, hospital admissions, acute coronary syndrome registry, and mortality (Cardiovascular Research Using LInked Bespoke Studies and Electronic Records [CALIBER] research platform). During 6 years median follow-up between 1997 and 2010, 114 859 people experienced an incident cardiovascular diagnosis, the majority (66%) of which were neither myocardial infarction nor ischemic stroke. Associations of male sex with initial diagnoses of CVD, however, varied from strong (age-adjusted hazard ratios, 3.6–5.0) for abdominal aortic aneurysm, myocardial infarction, and unheralded coronary death (particularly >60 years), through modest (hazard ratio, 1.5–2.0) for stable angina, ischemic stroke, peripheral arterial disease, heart failure, and cardiac arrest, to weak (hazard ratio <1.5) for transient ischemic attack, intracerebral hemorrhage, and unstable angina, and inverse (0.69) for subarachnoid hemorrhage (all <italic>P</italic><0.001).</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Conclusions—</title> <p>The majority of initial presentations of CVD are neither myocardial infarction nor ischemic stroke, yet most primary prevention studies focus on these presentations. Sex has differing associations with different CVDs, with implications for risk prediction and management strategies.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Clinical Trial Registration—</title> <p>URL: <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov" xlink:type="simple" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">http://www.clinicaltrials.gov</ext-link>. Unique identifier: NCT01164371.</p> </sec> </abstract>