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DALLAS, Nov 15, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Mayo Clinic researchers in Rochester, Minn., say women with heart failure are less likely than men to receive cardiac resynchronization therapy.
Cardiac resynchronization therapy has been shown to enhance quality of life for people with heart failure; and women who receive CRT live longer than men who are given the therapy, according to research presented Tuesday during the American Heart Association's annual Scientific Sessions in Dallas.
The cases of 373 patients who underwent implantation of a CRT device at Mayo Clinic between 1999 and 2004 were reviewed to determine gender-specific referrals and evaluate how the patients -- 82 percent male -- fared with the therapy.
Survival at five years for women -- 76 percent -- was much higher than that of the men, at 46 percent.
"Our data highlight a potentially important gender bias, in that fewer women ... are being referred for cardiac resynchronization therapy compared with a similar group of males," said Dr. Grace Lin, lead author of the study. "It is another example in recent years of potential under-treatment of women with heart disease in this country. Whether such 'referral bias' is universal, however, deserves further study."
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2005 by United Press International
