More Than One Way to Close the Gender Gap

Race, sex and age disparities in echocardiography among Medicare beneficiaries in an integrated healthcare system

OBJECTIVE

To identify potential race, sex and age disparities in performance of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) over several decades.

METHODS

TTE reports from five academic and community sites within a single integrated healthcare system were linked to 100% Medicare fee-for-service claims from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2017. Multivariable Poisson regression was used to estimate adjusted rates of TTE utilisation after the index TTE according to baseline age, sex, race and comorbidities among individuals with ≥2 TTEs. Non-white race was defined as black, Asian, North American Native, Hispanic or other categories using Medicare-assigned race categories.

RESULTS

A total of 15 870 individuals (50.1% female, mean 72.2±12.7 years) underwent a total of 63 535 TTEs (range 2-55/person) over a median (IQR) follow-up time of 4.9 (2.4-8.5) years. After the index TTE, the median TTE use was 0.72 TTEs/person/year (IQR 0.43-1.33; range 0.12-26.76). TTE use was lower in older individuals (relative risk (RR) for 10-year increase in age, 0.91, 95% CI 0.89 to 0.92, p<0.001), women (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95 to 0.99, p<0.001) and non-white individuals (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.93 to 0.97, p<0.001). Black women in particular had the lowest relative use of TTE (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.95, p<0.001). The only clinical conditions associated with increased TTE use after multivariable adjustment were heart failure (RR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.08, p=0.04) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (RR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.10, p=0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Among Medicare beneficiaries with multiple TTEs in a single large healthcare system, the median TTE use after the index TTE was 0.72 TTEs/person/year, although this varied widely. Adjusted for comorbidities, female sex, non-white race and advancing age were associated with decreased TTE utilisation.

Evolution of ST-Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction Prevalence by Gender Assessed Age Pyramid Analysis-The Piramyd Study

Introduction: Recent studies reported a decrease in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction. This favorable evolution does not extend to young women. The interaction between gender, risk factors and myocardial infarction incidence remains controversial. Objective: To compare the evolution of the age pyramid of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) according to gender. Methods: Data from patients with STEMI managed in pre-hospital settings prospectively collected in the greater Paris area. Evolution of patient demographics and risk factors was investigated. Results: 28,249 patients with STEMI were included in the registry between 2002 and 2014, 21,883 (77%) males and 6366 (23%) females. The sex ratio did not significantly vary over the study period (p = 0.4). Median patient age was 60.1 years (51.1–73.0) and was significantly different between males and females, respectively 57.9 (50.0–68.3) vs. 72.9 years (58.3–82.2) (p = 0.0004). The median age of males significantly (p = 0.0044) increased from 57.6 (50.1–70.0) in 2002 to 58.1 years (50.5–67.8) in 2014. The median age of females significantly (p = 0.0006) decreased from 73.7 (57.9–81.8) to 69.6 years (57.0–82.4). The median gap between the age of men and women significantly (p = 0.0002) decreased, from 16.1 to 11.5 years. Prevalence of risk factors was unchanged or decreased except for hypertension which significantly increased in males. The rate of STEMI without reported risk factors increased in both males and females. Conclusion: The age of STEMI onset significantly decreased in females, whereas it significantly increased in males. The prevalence of risk factors decreased in males, whereas no significant variation was found in females.