The Diagnostic Value of Clinical Symptoms in Women and Men Presenting with Chest Pain at the Emergency Department, a Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggested that diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD) is more difficult in women than in men. Studies investigating the predictive value of clinical signs and symptoms and compare its combined diagnostic value between women and men are lacking. METHODOLOGY: Data from a large multicenter prospective study was used. Patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain but without ST-elevation were eligible. The endpoint was proven CAD, defined as a significant stenosis at angiography or the diagnosis of a non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death within six weeks after presentation at the ED. Twelve clinical symptoms and seven cardiovascular risk factors were collected. Potential predictors of CAD with a p-value <0.15 in the univariable analysis were included in a multivariable model. The diagnostic value of clinical symptoms and cardiovascular risk factors was quantified in women and men separately and areas under the curve (AUC) were compared between sexes. RESULTS: A total of 2433 patients were included. We excluded 102 patients (4%) with either an incomplete follow up or ST-elevation. Of the remaining 2331 patients 43% (1003) were women. CAD was present in 111 (11%) women and 278 (21%) men. In women 11 out of 12 and in men 10 out of 12 clinical symptoms were univariably associated with CAD. The AUC of symptoms alone was 0.74 (95%CI: 0.69-0.79) in women and 0.71 (95%CI: 0.68-0.75) in men and increased to respectively 0.79 (95%CI: 0.74-0.83) in women versus 0.75 (95%CI: 0.72-0.78) in men after adding cardiovascular risk factors. The AUCs of women and men were not significantly different (p-value symptoms alone: 0.45, after adding cardiovascular risk factors: 0.11). CONCLUSION: The diagnostic value of clinical symptoms and cardiovascular risk factors for the diagnosis of CAD in chest pain patients presenting on the ED was high in women and men. No significant differences were found between sexes.