The clinical profile of women with stable ischemic heart disease in Spain. More effort is needed in secondary prevention. SIRENA study

Abstract Objectives Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death for women, especially ischemic heart disease, which is still considered a man's disease. In Spain, there are various registries on ischemic heart disease, although none are exclusively for women. The objectives of the SIRENA study were to describe the clinical profile of women with ischemic heart disease treated in cardiology consultations, to estimate its prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and understand its clinical management. Patients and methods A multicentre observational study was conducted with a sample of 631 women with stable ischemic heart disease, consecutively included during cardiology consultations. Forty-one researchers from all over Spain participated in the study. Results The mean age was 68.5 years. The clinical presentation was in the form of acute coronary syndrome in up to 67.2% of the patients. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was high (77.7% of the patients had hypertension, 40.7% had diabetes and 68% had dyslipidaemia), with 30.7% having uncontrolled hypertension, 78.4% having LDL-cholesterol levels higher than 70 mg/dL and 49.2% having HbA1c levels greater than 7%. The considerable majority of the patients underwent optimal medical treatment with antiplatelet agents, beta-blockers, renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system blockers and hypolipidaemic agents. Coronary angiography was performed for 88.3% of the patients, and 63.4% underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. Conclusions Women with stable ischemic heart disease in Spain initially present some form of acute coronary syndrome and a high prevalence of inadequately controlled cardiovascular risk factors, despite undergoing optimal medical therapy. A high percentage of these women undergo coronary revascularisation. Increased efforts are required for secondary prevention in women with stable ischemic heart disease.