• Piotr Jankowski, Danuta Czarnecka, Renata Wolfshaut-Wolak, Radosław Łysek, Anna Łukaszewska, Sławomir Surowiec, Magdalena Loster, Piotr Bogacki, Ewa Bryniarska-Mirek, Janusz Grodecki, Jadwiga Nessler, Piotr Podolec, Kalina Kawecka-Jaszcz, and Andrzej Pająk.
• 1st Department of Cardiology and Hypertension, Institute of Cardiology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland. piotrjankowski@interia.pl.
• Kardiol Pol. 2013 Jan 1; 71 (12): 1251-9.

BackgroundMany researchers have studied age- and sex-related differences in the management of patients with coronary artery disease. However, the results are inconsistent.AimTo assess sex- and age-related bias in the secondary prevention in patients hospitalised due to ischaemic heart disease.MethodsFive hospitals with departments of cardiology serving a city and surrounding districts in southern Poland participated in the study. Consecutive patients hospitalised from 1 April 2005 to 31 July 2006 due to acute coronary syndrome or for a myocardial revascularisation procedure and aged ≤ 80 years were recruited and interviewed 6-18 months after hospitalisation.ResultsThe hospital records of 640 patients were reviewed and 513 (80.2%) patients participated in the follow-up interview. Women were older and less educated than their male counterparts. Sex was not independently associated with the control of major risk factors in the post-discharge period, whereas age was related to a higher probability of having high blood pressure and a lower chance of smoking. Multivariate analysis showed that females were prescribed calcium antagonists (odds ratio [OR] 2.13; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.34-3.39) and diuretics (OR 1.52; 95% CI 1.00-2.31) more often than males. Age was independently related to the prescription rate of diuretics (≥ 70 years vs. < 60 years; OR 1.61; 95% CI 1.19-2.20). The prescription rate of antiplatelets, beta-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitors/sartans, lipid-lowering drugs, and anticoagulants was not related to age or sex.ConclusionsWe found no major sex-related difference in the frequency of achieving recommended goals in secondary prevention, whereas age was related to a lower prevalence of smoking and a higher probability of having high blood pressure in subjects after hospitalisation for coronary artery disease.

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