Published in:
Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research article
Gender based differences in drug eluting stent implantation - data from the German ALKK registry suggest underuse of DES in elderly women
Published in: BMC Cardiovascular Disorders | Issue 1/2017
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Background
Observational studies suggest there are gender based differences in the treatment of coronary artery disease, with women receiving evidence based therapy less frequently than suggested by current guidelines. The aim of our study was to evaluate gender based differences in the use of DES.
Methods
We analysed prospectively collected data from 100704 stent implantations in the PCI registry of the ALKK between 2005 and 2009.
Results
The usage of DES increased from 16.0 to 43.9%. Although women had smaller vessel sizes, they received DES less often compared to men (28.2 vs. 31.3%), with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.93 (95% confidence interval 0.89-0.97) at the age of 75, and an adjusted odds ratio of 0.89 (95% confidence interval 0.84-0.94) at the age of 80.
Conclusion
Despite having smaller vessels than men, women were treated less often with DES. These findings apply to women above the age of 75 years. These findings support previous reports, that elderly women with coronary artery disease are treated differently to men.