Women and coronary artery disease: A review of the literature

This article attempts to answer the following questions: Are there differences in the risk factors between women and men? Do the clinical manifestations of CAD differ between the sexes? What is the course of the disease for women? What if any are the rehabilitation factors specific to women? From our literature review it became obvious that there are data gaps that limit our ability to answer the four questions completely. The research we report on mainly has been done prior to 1979 and the major focus was on male response to CAD. This material does not adequately describe an overview of the disease and its effects on the psychosocial and physiological aspects of women. As health professionals who strive for research based clinical practice, it is strongly indicated that females and CAD should be studied in as great a depth as the male population and CAD.