Review: Cognitive representations of symptoms of acute coronary syndrome and coping responses to the symptoms as correlates to pre-hospital delay in Omani women and men patients

摘要

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates have declined over the past few decades, notably more so for men than for women (Go et al., 2013). Regardless, CVD remains the number one cause of death in both men and women (Mosca et al., 2011). The origins of gender differences in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are numerous and wide ranging including variations in the type, awareness and presentation of symptoms and the response to them. More frequently, women with ACS present with atypical symptoms, such as abnormal pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and dyspnoea (DeVon et al., 2008; Elsaesser and Hamm, 2004). Of greatest significance, awareness of ACS risk, or thereby lack of, has been linked to taking preventive action in women (Wenger, 2012). Understanding the causes and responses of differences in delays in seeking treatment between men and women is imperative to guiding ACS intervention and management. To date, most of the evidence has come from Western-based studies (Greenlund et al., 2004; Wenger, 2012).