Iranian Journal of Critical Care Nursing Spring 2011, Volume 4, Issue 1; 33 - 38 * Correspondence; Email: h.sharifnia@mubabol.ac.ir Difference in Clinical Symptoms of Myocardial Infarction between Men and Women Seyyed Hamid Sharif Nia 1 ٭MSc, Ali Akbar Haghdost 2 PhD, Roghayeh Nazari 1 MSc, Roziata Rezaie 1 MSc, Sousan Sa'atsaz 1 MSc, Seyyed Jalil Seyyedi Andi 1 MSc, Y H Chan 3 PhD 1 School of Nursing and Midwifery of Amol, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran 2 Physiology Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran 3 Head of Biostatistics Unit, Medicine National University of Singapore, Singapore Abstract Introduction: Cardiovascular disease are the main causes of mortality among men and women so that the difference of acute myocardial infarction (MI) symptoms between men and women can affect on diagnosis and time of decision making for treatment and consequently on disease outcomes. Therefore, knowing different symptoms affects the prognostic of the disease according to the gender. This study conducted aimed to review the difference in clinical symptoms of myocardial infarction between men and women. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 169 patients admitted to Cardiac Care Unit at Imam Reza Hospital in Amol diagnosed as acute MI in 2009. Collecting the data was conducted using a demographic data form and symptoms check list and acute myocardial infarction symptoms were evaluated through interview. The data also were analyzed using Software SPSS 16, descriptive statistical methods and odds ratio. Results: Female gender increased the ratio of weakness to 2.76, vomiting to 1.96, fatigue to 2.47, and anxiety to 2.20 and hiccups to 2.27. Furthermore, female gender increased the ratio of pain associated with acute myocardial infarction in jaw to 3.49, neck to 2.78, throat to 3.24, and shoulder to 2.43 and the left scapula to 2.83. Conclusion: Atypical symptoms, particularly in females, may cause delay in referring of the patients and also delay in decision making for diagnosis and treatment by the medical team. Hence, staff and patients of ICUs need more special information about recognizing acute myocardial infarction symptoms, especially with regard to the gender. Keywords: Myocardial infarction, Gender, Clinical symptoms. Introduction Cardiovascular diseases are one of the global health problems [1], more than 13 million patients with coronary artery disease are living in the United States [2]. It is the cause of one fifth of the mortality in English men [3] and the main cause of death among women of developed and western countries [3-6[. In Iran also, the rate of mortality resulted from heart diseases is increasing [1]. While the mortality rate in men with coronary artery diseases is declining, this is increasing in women and also the treatment result has been better in men than in women [7], and women have experienced higher side effects following the myocardial infarction than men [4]. Vaccarino (1999) stated that women under 50 years who are admitted in the hospitals due to acute coronary syndromes have mortality rate twice than men [8]. One of the main reasons is that myocardial infarction symptoms are ignored particularly in women. Higher age of the women and having no diagnosed symptoms cause that women delay referring to the hospital [9] and consequently they would receive electrocardiography and resuscitative treatments such as thrombolytic therapy and angioplasty with delay [10]. One of the other possible reasons is that women do not experience some of the diagnosed myocardial infarction symptoms in comparison with men, and therefore it would be hard for them to believe they had myocardial infarction [11]. Whereas women use health services more than men do [4].