Gender Differences in Delay Seeking Treatment and Related Experiences in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

급성심근경색증 환자의 성별에 따른 치료추구지연과 관련 경험의 비교

Purpose: This comparative descriptive study was to identify gender differences in delay seeking treatment and related experiences in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: Ninety-seven participants were recruited from a tertiary hospital. Results: Mean age of 47 women was $71.5{\pm}13.3$ while that of men was $55.0{\pm}10.9$ (p<.001). More women lived alone and were jobless, less educated, and poorer than men. Men were likely to be 'current smokers' and drink alcohol, however viewed themselves healthier than women (p=.030). Women's hospital stay was $9.23{\pm}21.04$ days while men's was $4.86{\pm}2.72$ days (p=.014). More women had been diagnosed with hypertension (p=.040). Women appeared to report significantly less pain ($6.46{\pm}3.1$) than men ($8.44{\pm}1.8$). More men described their pain as sudden onset (p=.015) and chest pain as major symptom (p=.034) than women. More women were found alone upon onset of symptoms (p=.023) and had important reasons for delay seeking treatment (p=.021) than men. Median time from onset of symptoms to seeking medical service was 1.5 hours for men and 5.1 hours for women (p=.003). Median time taken from onset of symptoms to hospital for therapy was 3.5 hours for men and 9.1 hours for women (p=.019). Conclusion: This study findings that women reported less pain and delayed in seeking treatment, suggest needs for strategies targeting women at risk of AMI.