Eligibility criteria for Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT): a position statement from a consortium of scientific societies for the use of MHT in women with medical conditions. MHT Eligibility Criteria Group.

This project aims to develop eligibility criteria for menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). The tool should be similar to those already established for contraception A consortium of scientific societies coordinated by the Spanish Menopause Society met to formulate recommendations for the use of MHT by women with medical conditions based on the best available evidence. The project was developed in two phases. As a first step, we conducted 14 systematic reviews and 32 metanalyses on the safety of MHT (in nine areas: age, time of menopause onset, treatment duration, women with thrombotic risk, women with a personal history of cardiovascular disease, women with metabolic syndrome, women with gastrointestinal diseases, survivors of breast cancer or of other cancers, and women who smoke) and on the most relevant pharmacological interactions with MHT. These systematic reviews and metanalyses helped inform a structured process in which a panel of experts defined the eligibility criteria according to a specific framework, which facilitated the discussion and development process. To unify the proposal, the following eligibility criteria have been defined in accordance with the WHO international nomenclature for the different alternatives for MHT (category 1, no restriction on the use of MHT; category 2, the benefits outweigh the risks; category 3, the risks generally outweigh the benefits; category 4, MHT should not be used). Quality was classified as high, moderate, low or very low, based on several factors (including risk of bias, inaccuracy, inconsistency, lack of directionality and publication bias). When no direct evidence was identified, but plausibility, clinical experience or indirect evidence were available, "Expert opinion" was categorized. For the first time, a set of eligibility criteria, based on clinical evidence and developed according to the most rigorous methodological tools, has been defined. This will provide health professionals with a powerful decision-making tool that can be used to manage menopausal symptoms.

Stratification and management of cardiovascular risk in cancer patients. A consensus document of the SEC, FEC, SEOM, SEOR, SEHH, SEMG, AEEMT, AEEC, and AECC.

Both cancer treatment and survival have significantly improved, but these advances have highlighted the deleterious effects of vascular complications associated with anticancer therapy. This consensus document aims to provide a coordinated, multidisciplinary and practical approach to the stratification, monitoring and treatment of cardiovascular risk in cancer patients. The document is promoted by the Working Group on Cardio Oncology of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC) and was drafted in collaboration with experts from distinct areas of expertise of the SEC and the Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy (SEHH), the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), the Spanish Society of Radiation Oncology (SEOR), the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG), the Spanish Association of Specialists in Occupational Medicine (AEEMT), the Spanish Association of Cardiovascular Nursing (AEEC), the Spanish Heart Foundation (FEC), and the Spanish Cancer Association (AECC).

Perspectiva de género en el estudio OFRECE: diferencias en la atención entre pacientes que consultan por dolor torácico o por palpitaciones / The gender perspective within the OFRECE study: differences in health care among patients consulting for chest pain and/or palpitations

Introducción y objetivos: En un estudio de base poblacional, se analizaron las posibles diferencias en función del sexo en la atención al dolor torácico o las palpitaciones como motivo de consulta. Métodos: El estudio OFRECE incluyó una muestra aleatoria de la población española de 8.400 participantes de edad ≥ 40 años, de los que 1.132 (13,5%) tenían antecedentes de consulta por dolor en el pecho y 1.267 (15,1%), por palpitaciones y se incluyen en este estudio. Se calculó la odds ratio (OR) de que se practicaran determinadas pruebas y se comunicaran los resultados de las consultas en relación con el hecho de ser mujer, tanto brutas como ajustadas por los factores de riesgo cardiovascular clásicos, antecedentes de enfermedad cardiovascular y diagnóstico de angina estable o fibrilación auricular confirmado en este estudio en cada caso. Resultados: No se observaron diferencias en los antecedentes de consulta por dolor torácico entre mujeres y varones (el 13 y el 14,1%; p=0,159) y sí en las consultas por palpitaciones (el 19,0 y el 10,4% respectivamente; p <0,001). A las mujeres con antecedentes de consulta por dolor torácico, en comparación con los varones, se les realizaron menos ecocardiogramas (el 32,5 y el 45,3%; p <0,001), se las remitió con menor frecuencia al cardiólogo (el 49,1 y el 60,1%; p <0,001), ingresaron menos (el 20,1 y el 39,4%; p <0,001) y se alcanzó un diagnóstico en menor proporción de casos (el 60,9 y el 71,9%; p <0,001). Al ajustar, disminuyen las diferencias y dejan de ser significativas en todos los casos: para ecocardiogramas, OR ajustada=0,81 (IC95%, 0,60-1,09); para remisión al cardiólogo, OR ajustada=0,86 (IC95%, 0,63-1,16), y para ingreso, OR ajustada=0,76 (IC95%, 0,54-1,09). En el caso de las palpitaciones, las diferencias no ajustadas son menores y todas desaparecen al ajustar. Conclusiones: Este trabajo no confirma un sesgo en razón del sexo en la atención a estos síntomas, aunque no es descartable completamente un sesgo de género en el diagnóstico confirmado en el estudio que limite su capacidad para identificar diferencias en la atención a las pacientes

Introduction and objectives: To analyze differences between sexes in the clinical management of patients presenting with symptoms of chest pain and/or palpitations within a population-based study. Methods: The OFRECE study included a random sample of 8400 individuals from the Spanish population aged 40 years and older; 1132 (13.5%) had previously consulted for chest pain and 1267 (15.1%) had consulted for palpitations and were included in the present study. We calculated both the crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) of undergoing certain tests and the results of consultations by sex. Adjustment was performed by classic cardiovascular risk factors, a personal history of cardiovascular disease, and a diagnosis of stable angina or atrial fibrillation confirmed in the OFRECE study in each case. Results: No differences were observed in history of consultation for chest pain between women and men (13% vs 14.1%; P=.159) but differences were found in palpitations (19% vs 10.4%, respectively; P <.001). Women who had previously consulted for chest pain underwent fewer echocardiograms (32.5% vs 45.3%, respectively; P <.001), were less frequently referred to a cardiologist (49.1% vs 60.1%; P <.001), were less often admitted to hospital (20.1% vs 39.4%; P <.001), and less frequently received a confirmed diagnosis (60.9 vs 71, 9; P <.001). After full adjustment, all differences decreased and become nonsignificant echocardiograms: adjusted OR, 0.81; 95%CI, 0.60-1.09; referral to a cardiologist: adjusted OR, 0.86; 95%CI, 0.63-1.16; hospital admission: adjusted OR, 0.76; 95%CI, 0.54-1.09). For palpitations, crude differences were smaller and all became nonsignificant after adjustment. Conclusions: This study does not confirm the existence of sex-related bias in the management of chest pain and palpitations. However, such bias cannot be completely ruled out in diagnoses confirmed within the OFRECE study, which might limit its ability to detect sex-related differences in health care

The Gender Perspective Within the OFRECE Study: Differences in Health Care Among Patients Consulting for Chest Pain and/or Palpitations.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: To analyze differences between sexes in the clinical management of patients presenting with symptoms of chest pain and/or palpitations within a population-based study. METHODS: The OFRECE study included a random sample of 8400 individuals from the Spanish population aged 40 years and older; 1132 (13.5%) had previously consulted for chest pain and 1267 (15.1%) had consulted for palpitations and were included in the present study. We calculated both the crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) of undergoing certain tests and the results of consultations by sex. Adjustment was performed by classic cardiovascular risk factors, a personal history of cardiovascular disease, and a diagnosis of stable angina or atrial fibrillation confirmed in the OFRECE study in each case. RESULTS: No differences were observed in history of consultation for chest pain between women and men (13% vs 14.1%; P=.159) but differences were found in palpitations (19% vs 10.4%, respectively; P <.001). Women who had previously consulted for chest pain underwent fewer echocardiograms (32.5% vs 45.3%, respectively; P <.001), were less frequently referred to a cardiologist (49.1% vs 60.1%; P <.001), were less often admitted to hospital (20.1% vs 39.4%; P <.001), and less frequently received a confirmed diagnosis (60.9 vs 71, 9; P <.001). After full adjustment, all differences decreased and become nonsignificant echocardiograms: adjusted OR, 0.81; 95%CI, 0.60-1.09; referral to a cardiologist: adjusted OR, 0.86; 95%CI, 0.63-1.16; hospital admission: adjusted OR, 0.76; 95%CI, 0.54-1.09). For palpitations, crude differences were smaller and all became nonsignificant after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: This study does not confirm the existence of sex-related bias in the management of chest pain and palpitations. However, such bias cannot be completely ruled out in diagnoses confirmed within the OFRECE study, which might limit its ability to detect sex-related differences in health care.

Relative performance of three formulas to assess renal function at predicting in-hospital hemorrhagic complications in an acute coronary syndrome population. What does the new CKD-EPI formula provide?

AIMS: Assessment of renal function is important for bleeding risk stratification in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). There are three formulas routinely used to assess renal function: the Cockroft-Gault (C-G) formula, the MDRD-4 formula and the new Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation. Our aim was to compare the ability of these formulas to predict the risk of in-hospital bleeding in patients with ACS. METHODS: The study included 3270 patients with ACS. The performance of each formula with respect to in-hospital TIMI (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction) major or TIMI minor bleeding were assessed using continuous data and by dividing patients into four subgroups according to the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): ≥90, 89-60, 30-59 and <30 ml/min/1.73 m(2). RESULTS: Bleeding predictive ability was significantly higher for the C-G formula than for MDRD-4 and CKD-EPI formulas, as evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC); continuous eGFR AUCs: 0.73, 0.69 and 0.71, respectively; categorical eGFR AUCs: 0.71, 0.66 and 0.68, respectively. Net reclassification improvement based on the eGFR categories was significantly positively favored C-G: 9.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8-17.2%) and 19.1% (95% CI 11.3-26.9%) compared with CKD-EPI and MDRD-4, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, the C-G formula predicted in-hospital bleeding better than MDRD-4 formula (severe renal dysfunction vs. normal renal function: odds ratio 7.98, 95% CI 2.61-24.38 with C-G; odds ratio 3.76, 95% CI 1.63-8.69 with MDRD-4; and odds ratio 5.77, 95% CI 2.18-15.24 with CKD-EPI. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the C-G eGFR may improve risk prediction of in-hospital bleeding more than the MDRD-4 equation and the new CKD-EPI equation in patients with ACS.

[Progress in clinical cardiology: surface electrocardiography, cardiovascular disease in women, and novel therapies]. / Novedades en cardiología clínica: electrocardiografía de superficie, enfermedad vascular y mujer y novedades terapéuticas.

This review from the Clinical Cardiology and Outpatient Section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology details recent progress in the field of clinical cardiology. On this occasion, the emphasis is on advances in surface electrocardiography and cardiovascular disease in women. In addition, the review contains a brief overview of those major new developments in therapy that have had the greatest impact on daily clinical practice and summarizes the activities of the Clinical Cardiology and Outpatient Section.

Novedades en cardiología clínica: electrocardiografíade superficie, enfermedad vascular y mujer y novedades terapéuticas / Progress in clinical cardiology: surface electrocardiography, cardiovascular disease in women, and novel therapies

Desde la Sección de Cardiología Clínica y Extrahospitalaria se revisan las novedades actuales en el campo de la cardiología clínica, en esta ocasión con especial énfasis en las novedades en electrocardiografía de superficie y en el campo de mujer y cardiopatía. Se realiza asimismo una somera revisión de las principales novedades terapéuticas con fuerte impacto en la clínica diaria y se resume la actividad de la sección (AU)

This review from the Clinical Cardiology and Outpatient Section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology details recent progress in the field of clinical cardiology. On this occasion, the emphasis is on advances in surface electrocardiography and cardiovascular disease in women. In addition, the review contains a brief overview of those major new developments in therapy that have had the greatest impact on daily clinical practice and summarizes the activities of the Clinical Cardiology and Outpatient Section (AU)

[Clinical cardiology: update]. / Actualización en cardiología clínica.

Clinical cardiology encompasses all forms of heart disease and their more general characteristics, and its sphere of activity includes practical aspects of prevention, diagnosis, and inpatient and outpatient treatment as applied to patients on an everyday basis. Since certain areas of cardiology have become highly specialized, this review of new developments reported in the past year has attempted to bring together all those advances that are not the subject of research in some particular specialization within cardiology and that have such a wide range of application that they should be familiar to all clinical cardiologists, irrespective of their daily responsibilities. For the purposes of this review, articles were classified according to their origin as either English-language, European, or domestic publications. The review concludes with a summary of registry data collected in the last two years by the Clinical and Outpatient Cardiology Section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology.

Diseño general del proyecto de estudio sobre la situación de la enfermedad cardiovascular de la mujer en España / Methodology employed in the study of cardiovascular disease in women in Spain

Las enfermedades cardiovasculares son la causa principal de mortalidad de varones y mujeres en los países de nuestro entorno. Sin embargo, el riesgo de la enfermedad cardiovascular en la mujer se subestima frecuentemente, debido a la percepción de que las mujeres están «protegidas» contra la cardiopatía isquémica. Además, las manifestaciones clínicas de la enfermedad coronaria en las mujeres pueden ser distintas de las observadas en los varones. Estos factores pueden llevar a una peor atención a las mujeres que sufren enfermedades cardiovasculares, no sólo cardiopatía isquémica, y a un peor pronóstico. En este artículo se discuten algunos aspectos relacionados con las diferencias en los factores de riesgo cardiovascular, las características clínicas, el tratamiento y el pronóstico relacionados con el sexo, y se detalla la metodología general del proyecto de estudio sobre la situación en España de la enfermedad cardiovascular en la mujer (AU)

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in countries like Spain. Nevertheless, the risk of cardiovascular disease in women is frequently underestimated because of the perception that women are «protected» against ischemic heart disease. Moreover, the clinical manifestations of coronary disease in women can differ from those observed in men. These two factors can lead to poorer care in women with any type of cardiovascular disease, not only coronary disease, and to a worse prognosis. This article reviews some features of the sex differences observed in cardiovascular risk factors for, and in the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of, cardiovascular disease. In addition, the general methodological approach employed in a current study of cardiovascular disease in women in Spain is described (AU)

Proyecto de estudio sobre la situación de la enfermedad cardiovascular de la mujer en España: conclusiones y recomendaciones finales / A study of cardiovascular disease in women in Spain: conclusions and final recommendations

En este artículo se presentan las conclusiones y las recomendaciones finales del estudio sobre la enfermedad cardiovascular de la mujer en España, realizado por la Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Hay diferencias notables entre mujeres y varones respecto a las características clínicas, el perfil de riesgo, la realización de pruebas diagnósticas, las medidas terapéuticas y el pronóstico en la mayor parte de las enfermedades estudiadas, sobre todo en el síndrome coronario agudo, la insuficiencia cardiaca y la hipertensión arterial. Las diferencias en el manejo diagnóstico y terapéutico son, en general, desfavorables para las mujeres. No existe información adecuada respecto a la fibrilación auricular y las enfermedades valvulares, por lo que es preciso realizar estudios específicos de estas afecciones. Son necesarias campañas de información y educación para concienciar tanto a la sociedad en general como a los profesionales sanitarios sobre estas desigualdades, así como adoptar medidas que contribuyan a mejorar la atención de las enfermedades cardiovasculares en las mujeres (AU)

This article details the conclusions and final recommendations of the study on cardiovascular disease in women in Spain carried out by the Spanish Society of Cardiology. Important differences were found between men and women in clinical characteristics, risk factors, diagnostic assessment, treatment and prognosis in most of the conditions studied, but particularly in acute coronary syndrome, heart failure and hypertension. In general, differences in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures work to women’s disadvantage. The information available on atrial fibrillation and valvular heart disease is incomplete and studies focusing on these conditions are needed. There is also a need for a program of education and information to raise awareness of inequalities between the sexes both in the general public and among healthcare professionals, and for practical measures that will improve care for women with cardiovascular disease (AU)

[Recent developments in metabolic syndrome, population aging, and the clinical interpretation of new atrial fibrillation guidelines]. / Novedades en el síndrome metabólico, envejecimiento poblacional y visión del clínico de las nuevas guías en fibrilación auricular.

This article reviews the main developments reported during the last year concerning metabolic syndrome, population aging, and new atrial fibrillation guidelines. The principal aim was to provide the clinical cardiologist with an overview of recent 2006 publications and conference reports on these topics, which have been selected for their broad clinical implications.

Novedades en el síndrome metabólico, envejecimiento poblacional y visión del clínico de las nuevas guías en fibrilación auricular / Recent developments in metabolic syndrome, population aging, and the clinical interpretation of new atrial fibrillation guidelines

Este artículo es una revisión de las principales novedades que se han publicado en el último año sobre el síndrome metabólico, el envejecimiento de la población y las nuevas guías de fibrilacion auricular. Nuestro objetivo ha sido ofrecer al cardiologo clínico una revisión sobre las últimas conferencias y publicaciones de 2006 relacionadas con estos temas que hemos seleccionado como de gran utilidad para todos

This article reviews the main developments reported during the last year concerning metabolic syndrome, population aging, and new atrial fibrillation guidelines. The principal aim was to provide the clinical cardiologist with an overview of recent 2006 publications and conference reports on these topics, which have been selected for their broad clinical implications