Clinical Characteristics and Gender Difference of Patients With Variant Angina in China / 中国循环杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective: To preliminarily explore the clinical characteristics and gender difference of patients with variant angina (VA) in China. Methods: A total of 312 patients with spontaneous attack of VA admitted in our hospital from 2003-01 to 2009-12 without stimulation test were retrospectively studied. The clinical features were compared between male and female patients to reveal the similarities and differences of VA by genders. Results: The predilection of VA was in male gender (274/312, 87.8%), the common risk factors including smoking, hypertension and hyperlipidemia; 55/312 (17.6%) patients had allergy history. There were 59/312 (18.9%) patients combining arrhythmia while VA attack; coronary angiography (CAG) found that 155/283 (54.8%) patients were with ifxed coronary stenosis and 22/312 (7.1%) combining coronary myocardial bridge. Nitrates, calcium antagonist and stent implantation may effectively control VA attack. Compared with male, female patients had the lower ratio of smokers (10.5% vs 78.8%),P<0.01, higher ratios of family history of coronary artery disease (CAD) (31.6% vs 11.3%),P<0.01, ventricular tachycardia (13.2% vs 3.6%)P<0.05 and ventricular ifbrillation (7.9% vs 1.8%),P<0.05. Conclusion: VA is a cardiac ischemia caused by coronary artery spasm with high incidence for combining arrhythmia, without in time treatment it may incur myocardial infarction even sudden death. VA patients should receive routine CAG and stent implantation according to the severity of stenosis. Female patients were with less smokers while higher ratios in family history of CAD, ventricular tachycardia and ventricular ifbrillation.