Gender Differences Facts and References

National clinical guidelines for hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, asthma and many other conditions are based on a majority of research performed in men and applied to women.
Men are more likely than women to die after an osteoporotic hip fracture.
Women are 50 percent more likely than men to have adverse reactions to prescription drugs, yet most drugs do not have different dosages based on a patient's gender.
While women are more likely than men to see a health care provider for wellness exams, men tend to seek medical attention due to acute illness or emergency.
Aspirin is more effective at preventing heart attacks in men and preventing strokes in women.
Seventy-five percent of people living with autoimmune disorders like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are women.
Cholesterol-lowering medications have been proven less effective in women than men in prevention of a first heart attack.
Given equal amounts of alcohol intake, women are more likely than men to suffer severe organ damage.
Women can suffer heart attacks and have no evidence of blockage in their arteries on a heart angiogram.
Until 1993, FDA regulations prohibited premenopausal women from participating in clinical drug trials.

Gender differences are the key to bridging the gaps in women’s health.

Food and Drug Administration. Guideline for the Study and Evaluation of Gender Differences in the Clinical Evaluation of Drugs, Notice. Fed Reg. Thursday, July 22, 1993;58:39405-39416
Review: Prevention of coronary heart disease in women Rohit Seth Loomba and Arora Therapeutic Advances in Cardiovascular Disease 2008;2:321-327.
Ridker PM, Cook NR, Lee IM, et al. A randomized trial of low-dose aspirin in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in women. N Engl J Med. 2005;352:1293-1304.
Berger JS, Roncaglioni MC, Avanzini F, et al. Aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events in women and men: a sex-specific meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. JAMA. 2006;295:306-313.
von Friesendorff M, Besjakov J, et al. Long-term survival and fracture risk after hip fracture: a 22-year follow-up in women. J Bone Miner Res, 2008; 23:1832-1841.