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Heart Attack Study Overlooks Women

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - We have dozens - if not hundreds - of key health studies done on heart disease and it is the evidence gained from these studies that actually allows us to make decisions in care - everything from medication recommendations to lifestyle changes. But a new report suggests that women may be underrepresented in one of the largest ongoing observational studies of US heart attack patients.

The reports may be overwhelmingly weighted toward studying younger, healthier men – leaving out many women and older people.

Data from the American College of Cardiology's National Cardiovascular Data Registry of heart attack patients treated at 466 hospitals across the US found that those studied were more frequently younger, male patients who had less previous heart disease, had faster access to diagnostic testing, and had the best health outcomes.

Skewing the data to this group can grossly misrepresent treatment options.

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