Differences between men and women in the use of preventive medications following a major cardiovascular event: Australian prospective cohort study

Abstract

Highlights Use of preventive medications following a major CVD event was sub-optimal. Use of preventive medications was lower in women vs men at 3 months after CVD event. Relationship persisted over time with similar findings at 12 months after CVD event.

Factors related to under‐treatment of secondary cardiovascular risk, including primary healthcare: Australian National Health Survey linked data analysis

“…The overall levels of under‐treatment for people with CVD observed in this study are consistent with what has previously been reported in Australia using self‐report medication data 7,15,26 . Consistent with previous findings, 8,11,12,26 we show that women are more likely to have suboptimal therapy than men, and expand on this to show that this occurs irrespective of their underlying health status or engagement with GP services. While not previously reported for secondary prevention, our finding that those with individual CVD risk factors were more likely to use preventative medications is consistent with data from 2008 on CVD primary prevention in Australia 17 .…”

“…Causes for suboptimal therapy are likely multiple, reflecting healthcare system, medication and patient factors. 9 Use of preventive medications in Australia has been shown to vary in relation to patient characteristics, with medication use lower among younger people, 7 women, [10][11][12] people living outside urban areas 13,14 and those of higher socioeconomic position 13,15 than their counterparts. Comorbidities or health risk factors may also influence prescribing and use of CVD medications, 9,16,17 although this has not been examined specifically for secondary prevention.…”

Prevalence of Cardioprotective Medication Use in Coronary Heart Disease Patients in South America: Systematic review and Meta-Analysis

“…Several studies found female sex and younger age to be independent predictors for lower use of medication [ 48 94 95 96 97 ]. Women often receive less prescriptions and have lower adherence to medication, which has been attributed to physician and patients factors like presentation of distinct symptoms, and underestimation of disease severity and fear of side effects [ 48 94 95 96 97 ]. In our meta-regression models, however, the percentage of women included in the study was not significantly associated with higher use of any medication class.…”

Non-Persistence with Medication as a Mediator for the Social Inequality in Risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Incident Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Nationwide Cohort Study

“…The event rate of non-persistence to medication was higher in women compared to men in our study, which corresponds to earlier studies reporting female sex to be a determinant of non-adherence to medication. 38 , 39 This level of non-persistence is problematic as pharmacological treatment reduces risk of MACE, also in females who more often suffer from a non-obstructive coronary artery disease that causes a different ischemic endothelial damage profile compared to men. 16 …”