Gender disparities in prevalence by diagnostic criteria, treatment and mortality of newly diagnosed acute myocardial infarction in Korean adults

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is highly prevalent and remains the leading cause of mortality. Particularly in women, under-recognition and management of AMI have been raised. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term trends of prevalence, treatment methodologies, and mortality of AMI by gender. The subjects of this study were patients hospitalized for AMI according to the Korean National Health Insurance Claims Database from 2002 to 2018. Total 633,097 AMI patients were hospitalized, 40% women. The incidence of AMI has been increasing since 2011, with a lower incidence in women. Overall, 53.1% of patients underwent CAG, with a lower tendency in women than in men (39.8% vs. 62.3%). Furthermore, fewer women underwent PCI than men (77.5% vs. 85.8% in 2018, p < 0.0001). Of the 336,463 AMI patients undergoing CAG, women were undertreated with a lower prescription rate of beta-blockers or statins at discharge. When adjusted for age, women showed higher 7-day mortality but lower 1-year mortality relative to men. According to the Korean National Health Insurance Claims Database, women with AMI have been under-recognized, underdiagnosed, and undertreated in terms of revascularization or medical therapy for years suggesting that efforts to close the gender gap are necessary.