Sex differences in acute myocardial infarction: clinical characteristics, management prac-tices, and outcomes for patients in a large tertiary hospital from Palestine

Several studies have shown gender variations in acute coronary syndrome's clinical presentation, diagnosis, therapy, and outcomes. Both immediate and long-term outcomes were worse for women with the acute coronary syndrome than men. This study investigates the influence of sex differences on the clinical presentations, treatment approaches, and pa-tient outcomes of acute myocardial infarction at a large tertiary hospital in Palestine. A retro-spective cohort study included all patients with acute myocardial infarction who presented to An-Najah National University Hospital from January 2018 to December 2020. Of the 422 patients in this study, 96 (22.7%) were women. Compared to men, women were older (p <0.001) and had significantly higher rates of diabetes mellitus (p <0.001) and hypertension (p <0.001). Additionally, women had greater chances of complaining of atypical cardiac chest pain (p = 0.012). Furthermore, non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction was more prevalent among women (p = 0.017). Regarding the hospital course, the median number of stents was statistically significant in men (p = 0.029), but women had significantly higher in-hospital mortality (p = 0.013) and a higher rate of blood transfusion (p = 0.026). Myocardial infarction presents differently in males and women. Women were older, had more comorbid conditions than men, had atypical presentations, and had higher in-hospital mortality rates. As a result, while evaluating and treating patients suspected of having a myocardial infarction, healthcare practitioners must account for these discrepancies to reduce the mortality rate among women.