Disparities in the Management of Newly Diagnosed Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia for Women Versus Men in the United States

BACKGROUND: Information on differences in paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) diagnosis, healthcare resource use, expenditures, and treatment among women versus men is limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: Study participants identified in the IBM MarketScan Commercial Research Databases were aged 18 to 40 years with newly diagnosed PSVT (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision [ICD‐9]: 427.0; International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision [ICD‐10]: I47.1) from October 1, 2012, through September 30, 2016, observable 1 year preindex and postindex diagnosis. Study outcomes were mean annual per‐patient healthcare resource use and expenditures before and after diagnosis. Among 5466 patients newly diagnosed with PSVT, most (66.9%) were women. Compared with men, women with PSVT tended to have higher rates of anxiety (13.9% versus 10.9%; P<0.01) and chronic pulmonary disease (10.9% versus 8.3%; P<0.01). Following diagnosis, mean annual per‐patient expenditures increased for all patients, but were significantly lower for women ($26 922 versus $33 112; P<0.05), reflecting lower spending for services billed as a result of a PSVT diagnosis ($8471 versus $11 405; P<0.05). After diagnosis, nearly half of all patients had at least 1 emergency department visit (women versus men, 49.6% versus 44.5%; P<0.01) and more had hospital admissions (women versus men, 24.7% versus 20.0%; P<0.01). Fewer women were treated with cardiac ablation (12.6% versus 15.3%; P<0.01), and more were treated with medical therapy, including β blockers or calcium channel blockers (odds ratio, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.02–1.31). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients aged 18 to 40 years, ≈2 of 3 patients diagnosed with PSVT were women. After diagnosis, spending was significantly lower for women, reflecting lower ablation rates and less spending on services with a PSVT diagnosis.