Sex-specific effects of diabetes on adverse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention: trends over time.

Background: Diabetes is a stronger risk factor for coronary heart disease in women than in men. Whether diabetes also poses greater risks to women after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not been examined.

Methods: We examined 20586 PCI procedures at Emory University Hospitals (Atlanta, GA) between 1990 and 2003.

Recognition and prevention of cardiovascular disease in women.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality for women and among women, the number of deaths secondary to CVD is nearly twice the number of all cancer-related deaths. Mortality trends from 1979 to 2001 have shown a consistent decrease in cardiovascular mortality among men; however, cardiovascular mortality trends have remained steady or increased among women. This disparity in outcomes, in part, is secondary to a lack of awareness among women and their health care providers regarding a woman's risk for CVD.