Gender Differences Among Korean Patients With Coronary Spasm

Abstract

Background and ObjectivesThe gender differences among Korean patients with coronary spasm have not been defined. We thus determined the gender differences among Korean patients with coronary spasm.Subjects and MethodsPatients with chest pain and/or syncope who were admitted to Kyungpook National University Hospital between January 2001 and August 2008 were included. Provocation of coronary vasospasm with intracoronary ergonovine maleate was performed when baseline coronary angiography showed no significant stenosis or there was a strong clinical suspicion of coronary spasm. The clinical characteristics were analyzed from 104 consecutive patients (56±9 years of age; 21 females) who were diagnosed with coronary spasm.ResultsFemale patients were younger (52±7 vs. 57±10 years, p=0.046) with lower rates of smoking and alcohol consumption histories than male patients (19% vs. 65%, p<0.001; and 43% vs. 89%, p<0.001, respectively). The other clinical characteristics were not significantly different, except for the triglyceride levels.ConclusionThe majority of patients with coronary spasm were males who were smokers and alcohol consumers. The female patients had lower rates of smoking and alcohol consumption, and they were younger than the male patients. Further studies are needed to investigate the relevance of gender differences in the pathogenesis of coronary spasm.

Association Between Inflammatory Markers, Hemostatic Markers, and Traditional Risk Factors on Coronary Artery Spasm in Patients with Normal Coronary Angiography

“…In the present study, we found that there were more male patients with chest pain who experience coronary artery spasm after provocation, compared with female patients, which fits with previous reports from Japan and Korea . Coronary artery spasm may occur more frequently in males than in females and may be a male dominant disorder.…”

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“… 77 Studies are conflicting on prevalence by sex – some studies have shown it is more common in women. 78 , 79 In one study, outcomes were worst in young females presenting with coronary vasospasm. 80 Treatment includes calcium channel blockers and nitrates.…”

Sex differences in clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes in patients with vasospastic angina: results from the VA-Korea registry, a prospective multi-center cohort

“…VA is also caused by the functional abnormalities of the coronary artery; however, sex differences in VA have not yet been well studied. In particular, VA is highly prevalent in males [ 1 , 2 ], and there has been limited data on the characteristics of female patients with VA. Until now, only a few studies have addressed sex difference in VA [ 13 – 17 ]. Among these studies, only two studies have investigated sex differences in long-term VA prognosis; however, sex-specific factors determining long-term clinical outcome of VA are inconsistent [ 13 , 15 ].…”