ABSTRACT
Introduction Over recent years, coronary artery disease (CAD) in women has become a topic of increasing interest and its importance as the major cause of morbidity and mortality in women has now been realized.1,2 Whilst CAD in pathologic terms respects no race, religion or gender, it does present in different clinical ways and with different degrees of severity depending on gender and race. These differences in presentation are clinically important because they affect how CAD is detected and diagnosed as well as managed. It is not just the clinical and pathologic aspects of CAD which should be the focus of attention, but also the psychologic and social impact of CAD on the family unit, whether the sufferer be male or female. Beneath the wealth of statistics and guidelines – some of which are discussed in this chapter – there is an individual who needs personalized care. Whilst statistics may guide the care of patients, patients themselves should never be treated as statistics.
