Cardiovascular Trials May Be Skewed Towards Younger, Healthier Men - East Idaho News
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Cardiovascular Trials May Be Skewed Towards Younger, Healthier Men

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Thinkstock 082614 DoctorWithPatient?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1409111398501Ablestock.com/Hemera Technologies/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — According to researchers, the largest ongoing study on heart disease may be heavily tilted towards younger men, leaving out significant data on women, minorities and older people.

The report, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at data from the American College of Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry, and found that many of the patients included in that study were younger men. The American College of Cardiology’s study includes heart attack patients treated at 466 different hospitals between July 2008 and March 2011.

Patients included in medical trials for heart disease often were less likely to have previously been diagnosed with heart disease, had faster access to diagnostic testing and had the best health outcomes. Among patients not included in trials, the risk of dying of cardiovascular problems was nearly double.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


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