Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in women and is still under-recognized and undertreated. Cardiovascular disease develops 7 to 10 years later in women than in men. There are major differences in the prevalence of various risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, family history of CAD, dyslipidemia, obesity and cigarette smoking. The presenting symptoms also differ as women are more likely to present with atypical chest pain, neck pain, nausea, fatigue and dyspnea. Characteristics of coronary lesion also vary widely amongst women. This often leads to a higher mortality after the first episode of myocardial infarction and a greater incidence of complications among women necessitating a gender specific approach to primary and secondary prevention

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