More than 3,000,000 women in the U.S. die of heart failure (HF) annually. Women significantly are underrepresented in studies that inform practice guidelines, especially women hospitalized for HF despite associated negative outcomes. HF is common in Hispanic individuals, the largest ethnic minority group in this nation, who are mostly of Mexican origin. Since there were no studies of gender differences in Mexican-Hispanic persons hospitalized for HF, as reported in the September-October 2020 issue of the periodical Women’s Health Issues, researchers sought to describe gender differences in demographic and clinical characteristics, clinical presentation, treatment, in-hospital outcomes, and discharge status in Mexican-Hispanic patients hospitalized for HF.
Compared with men, women were equally affected by obesity, on average six years older (p < .01), and more likely to be widowed (31% vs 6%; p < .001). Women had significantly higher ejection fractions, more total comorbid conditions, more hyperlipidemia, more arthritis, more anxiety, and were less likely to be treated with digoxin and more likely to be treated with calcium channel blockers. At discharge, women were significantly less likely to receive an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an aldosterone receptor blocker and had a higher systolic blood pressure. A conclusion reached from this investigation is that key gender differences in chronic illness burden, treatment, and discharge status were found, highlighting the heterogeneity of women with HF and the need for further gender-specific research to develop care strategies specific to women of all races and ethnicities.
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