Gender Differences in Myocardial Ischemia-Related Symptoms During Transient Balloon Occlusion of the Coronary Artery

Background: Previous investigations have shown gender differences in symptoms of angina pectoris and acute coronary syndrome. However, these investigations have certain limitations, including retrospective in nature, interview-related bias, and various duration of myocardial ischemia, all of which would affect the results. Accordingly, we prospectively examined whether there are any gender differences in myocardial ischemia-related symptoms during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which provides a unique model of transient myocardial ischemia. Methods: We prospectively evaluated myocardial ischemia-related symptoms during 60-second balloon inflation in the setting of elective PCI in 110 males and 80 females with coronary artery disease. Results: Myocardial ischemia-related symptoms, including chest pain and/or other symptoms (occipital pain, neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, upper arm pain, and nausea), were observed during balloon inflation in 72 males and 52 females. In patients with any symp...