Men are more likely to receive faster care compared with women when experiencing heart attacks and angina, according to a recent study Agence France-Presse reported.
Researchers at McGill University in Montreal found that men had faster access to electrocardiograms (ECGs) and fibrinolysis, a process that prevents blood clots, than women.
"Patients with anxiety who present to the emergency department with non-cardiac chest pain tend to be women, and the prevalence of acute coronary syndrome is lower among young women than among young men. These findings suggest that triage personnel might initially dismiss a cardiac event among young women with anxiety, which would result in a longer door-to-ECG interval," Louise Pilote, clinician and researcher, wrote in the study.
For the study, researchers asked more than 1,120 patients aged 18 to 55 to fill out a survey within 24 hours after admission to a hospital. They survey asked about gender-related issues such as "traditional" masculine and feminine traits of personality, responsibility for housework, education level and health status before the event, according to a press release.
They found that men had access to an ECG machine and fibrinolysis an estimated 13 to 15 minutes earlier than women.
Researchers also found that both men and women with feminine character traits were less likely to receive timely care than patients with masculine traits.
"A novel finding of our study was the identification of gender-related determinants of access to care," write the authors. "Men and women who reported higher levels of feminine personality traits, as well as those who reported being the person at home mainly responsible for housework, were ... less likely to undergo invasive procedures."
The authors conclude that more specific management may be required for patients presenting to the emergency department with no chest pain, several risk factors or a feminine gender identity and role.
The findings were published in the current issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
