Heart attacks in women are more likely to be fatal than in men. Age and comorbidity burden, which make an assessment of women a challenge, are factors that determine the differences in the gravity of the disease. Researchers have now developed a novel AI-based risk score that improved personalized care for female patients with heart attacks. 

According to a 2021 report, although globally, the prevalence of CVD among women has been declining with an overall decrease of 4.3 per cent since 1990, some of the world’s most populous nations have seen an increase in CVD, including China (10% increase), Indonesia (7%) and India (3%). 

Heart attacks are one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and women who suffer a heart attack have a higher mortality rate than men. This has been a matter of concern to cardiologists for decades and has led to controversy in the medical field about the causes and effects of possible gaps in treatment.  

The problem starts with the symptoms: unlike men, who usually experience chest pain with radiation to the left arm, a heart attack in women often manifests as abdominal pain radiating to the back or as nausea and vomiting. These symptoms are unfortunately often misinterpreted by the patients and healthcare personnel with disastrous consequences. 

The difference in the risk profile 

An international research team led by Thomas F. Lüscher at the University of Zurich has analyzed the role of biological sex in heart attacks. According to the study, there are notable differences in the disease phenotype observed in females and males. Furthermore, the study showed that women and men differ significantly in their risk factor profiles at hospital admission.  

When age differences at admission and risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes are disregarded, female heart-attack payments have higher mortality than male patients. However, it is to be noted that when these differences are taken into account statistically, women and men have similar mortality. 

Risk models 

In the study published in The Lancet, researchers from Switzerland and the UK analysed data from 420,781 patients with the most common type of heart attack. The study shows that established risk models which guide current patient management are less accurate in females and favor the under-treatment of female patients.  

By leveraging ML algorithms and the largest datasets in Europe, the researchers were able to develop a new AI-based risk score which accounts for sex-related differences in the baseline risk profile and improves the prediction of mortality in both genders. 

Individual care with AI 

Researchers and biotech companies believe that AI and big data analytics are the next steps to personalized patient care. The Lancet study heads the era of AI in treating heart attacks. Modern computer algorithms can learn from large data sets to make accurate predictions about the prognosis of individual patients. It will hold the key to individualized treatments. 

AI is believed to have massive potential in the management of heart disease in both male and female patients. The implementation of this novel score in treatment algorithms will refine current treatment strategies, reduce sex inequalities and eventually improve the survival of both male and female patients with heart attacks. 

Sources:

ScienceDaily

Indian Express