Women in Cardiovascular Clinical Trials

Women in Cardiovascular Clinical Trials

Between 1980 and 2000, the age-adjusted death rate due to coronary heart disease (CHD) decreased by 48%. The optimization of medical therapies (OMT) and revascularization procedures such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has accounted for 50% of the decline. While mortality rates for CHD have not declined equally for men and women, recent randomized clinical trials have not addressed gender differences regarding the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Historically, women have been underrepresented in clinical trials of cardiovascular disease.