ABSTRACT
Background@#Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in both genders worldwide. Gender differences in clinical presentation and treatment have been reported.@*Objective@#This study aims to describe and compare the cardiovascular risk factors and management strategies for primary prevention among Filipinos.@*Methods@#An analytical cross-sectional study was done on 2,082 patients at the Preventive Cardiology Clinic of a tertiary referral center in Quezon City, Philippines from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2017.@*Results@# Seventy-two percent of the patients were females with a higher mean age compared to males (57.67 + 10.50 vs 55.66 + 11.82, p 0.002). There were more women who were unemployed (75.2 vs 45.9, p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of hypertension (68.6% vs 67.9%, p=0.542) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (19.8% vs 21.5%, p=0.437) in both genders. Beta blockers (24.1%), calcium channel blockers (22.9%) and angiotensin receptor blockers (22.1%) were the most commonly prescribed anti-hypertensive drugs. Biguanides were the most commonly prescribed glucose-lowering drug (11.3%). Compared to men, more women had dyslipidemia (51.8% vs 38.6%, p<0.001). Statins were more commonly prescribed in women (22.4 vs 18.1%, p=0.033).@*Conclusion@#There were significantly more women seen in our Preventive Cardiology clinic. Smoking and alcoholic drinking were higher in males. BMI, total cholesterol and HDL were significantly higher in females than in males.
Subject(s)
Sex Characteristics , Heart Disease Risk Factors , Primary Prevention , Preventive MedicineABSTRACT
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading global cause of mortality and morbidity. Risk assessment of asymptomatic individuals plays an important role in the primary prevention of CVD and its complications by guiding management decisions, in particular the decision to use statins or antiplatelet agents, as well as more controversially, the target level for risk factors such as hypertension and cholesterol. Timely and regular risk assessments also identify the development of physiological disturbances such as pre-hypertension, pre-diabetes, dyslipidaemias, clinical obesity and metabolic syndrome, which can be asymptomatic in the early stages, but may lead to increased risk for many ageing-related degenerative diseases, including CVD. These physiological mal-adaptations are remarkably responsive to behavioural lifestyle interventions at an early stage, and may be stabilised or even reversed without medications. This article describes the why and how of assessing CVD risk and a suggested framework for management, including the appropriate use of behavioural lifestyle interventions as first-line treatment. It also describes the various risk scores available, their differences and limitations and how to best use them in clinical practice. More research is required regarding the use of non-traditional and emerging markers of CVD risk such as carotid intima-media thickness, coronary artery calcium scoring, hsCRP, ankle brachial index, Apo-B, albuminuria, and how they may be incorporated into existing risk models.
ABSTRACT
La enfermedad cardiovascular (ECV) es la principal causa de muerte en las mujeres; su impacto sobre la salud no está relacionado solo a la mortalidad. Un porcentaje importante de mujeres sobreviven a la ECV gracias a los avances científicos técnicos y terapéuticos y estos determinan un aumento de la supervivencia y expectativa de vida y con ello, mayores costos de salud; es por lo tanto necesario implantar estrategias de prevención y tratamiento de los factores de riesgo de esta enfermedad. S in embargo, existen diferencias importantes de género en la presentación y evolución de la ECV, lo cual justifica la formulación de guías específicas para mujeres por parte de la Asociación Americana del Corazón (American Heart Association), que facilitarán la identificación y estratificación precoz de los factores de riesgo de las mujeres y las estrategias terapéuticas. Esta revisión se enfoca sobre los principales factores de riesgo en la mujer postmenopáusica, las características de la enfermedad arterial coronaria en la mujer y las estrategias de prevención cardiovascular.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women. Its impact on health is not only related to mortality rate because there are a number of women surviving from this disease due to scientific and technical advances in diagnostic procedures and treatment leading to a higher life expectative and high health costs. For this reason is important to implement prevention strategies for diagnosis and treatment of the main cardiovascular risk factors. It is well known that cardiovascular disease has gender differences in presentation, evolution and prognosis that justified the formulation of specific guidelines for women by the American Heart Association which will make easier the early identification and stratification of women at cardiovascular risk according to the main risk factors and the implementation of specific therapeutic intervention. This review will be focus on the main cardiovascular risk factors in post menopausal women and will describe the characteristics findings of coronary heart disease in women and, the prevention strategies of cardiovascular disease.