GENDER DIFFERENCES IN EXTENT OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE AND LEFT VENTRICULAR FUNCTION IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY

Coronary angiography allows a direct evaluation of coronary artery. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the coronary artery stenosis among males and females un-derwent coronary angiography (CAG). This randomized clinical trial was performed on 620 (425 males and 195 females) patients from March 2006 to September 2007 in the coronary angiographic registry of Imam Khomeini Hospital. The patients were selected for CAG according to the clinical criteria. Hypertension, diabetes, current medication, socio-demographic data, smoking, age and sex were recorded according to medical history and laboratory data. Ejection fraction of left ventricle was significantly higher in women in comparison with men (P = 0.01). No significant differences in the extent of coronary artery disease be-tween men and women were observed. Women with coronary artery disease were older than men (P < 0.001). Although our study does not show any gender differences in the number of diseased vessels, it shows higher prevalence of risk factors such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension in women.