Medical and surgical management of coronary artery disease in women

Women and men with coronary artery disease (CAD) differ in their presenting symptoms, baseline risk factors, age, and body size. These differences account for most of the previously reported differences in the management of women with CAD. When using larger databases and adjusting for confounding factors, women increasingly resemble men in terms of the care they receive and their outcomes. We reviewed recent articles on the pharmacologic and surgical management of women with CAD. Although women and men with CAD should be treated similarly, physicians still must recognize the sometimes atypical presentation of CAD in women and be mindful of the smaller body size of women regarding drug dosing and revascularization.