Many studies have examined gender-related differences in symptoms of acute myocardial
infarction (AMI). However, findings have been inconsistent, largely because of different
study populations and different methods of symptom assessment and data analysis. This
study was based on 568 women and 1,710 men 25 to 74 years old hospitalized with a
first-ever AMI from January 2001 through December 2006 recruited from a population-based
AMI registry. Occurrence of 13 AMI symptoms was recorded using standardized patient
interview. After controlling for age, migration status, body mass index, smoking,
some co-morbidities including diabetes, and type and location of AMI through logistic
regression modeling, women were significantly more likely to complain of pain in the
left shoulder/arm/hand (odds ratio [OR] 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10 to
1.69), pain in the throat/jaw (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.43 to 2.21), pain in the upper abdomen
(OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.91), pain between the shoulder blades (OR 2.22, 95% CI
1.78 to 2.77), vomiting (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.67 to 2.97), nausea (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.56
to 2.39), dyspnea (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.78), fear of death (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.73
to 2.72), and dizziness (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.91) than men. Furthermore, women
were more likely to report >4 symptoms (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.72 to 2.66). No significant
gender differences were found in chest pain, feelings of pressure or tightness, diaphoresis,
pain in the right shoulder/arm/hand, and syncope. In conclusion, women and men did
not differ regarding the chief AMI symptoms of chest pain or feelings of tightness
or pressure and diaphoresis. However, women were more likely to have additional symptoms.
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: March 21, 2011
Accepted:
January 26,
2011
Received in revised form:
January 26,
2011
Received:
November 15,
2010
Footnotes
The KORA research platform and the MONICA Augsburg studies were initiated and financed by the Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology and by the State of Bavaria. Since 2000 myocardial infarction data collection has been cofinanced by the German Federal Ministry of Health to provide population-based myocardial infarction morbidity data for the official German Health Report (available at: http://www.gbe-bund.de). Steering partners of the MONICA/KORA Infarction Registry, Augsburg, are the KORA research platform, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany, and the I Medizinische Klinik Herzzentrum, Augsburg-Schwaben, Klinikum Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany.
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© 2011 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
