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There is increasing interest in the long-term cardiovascular health of women with complicated pregnancies and their affected offspring. Emerging antenatal risk factors such as preeclampsia appear to increase the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease across the life course in both the offspring and women after pregnancy. However, the antenatal programming mechanisms responsible are complex and incompletely understood, with roots in alterations in the development, structure, and function of the kidney, heart, vasculature, and brain. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is a major regulator of maternal-fetal health through the placental interface, as well as kidney and cardiovascular tissue development and function. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system dysregulation plays a critical role in the development of pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia and programming of long-term adverse cardiovascular health in both the mother and the offspring. An improved understanding of antenatal renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system programming is crucial to identify at-risk individuals and to facilitate development of novel therapies to prevent and treat disease across the life course. Given the inherent complexities of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, it is imperative that preclinical and translational research studies adhere to best practices to accurately and rigorously measure components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. This comprehensive synthesis of preclinical and translational scientific evidence of the mechanistic role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in antenatal programming of hypertension and cardiovascular disease will help (1) to ensure that future research uses best research practices, (2) to identify pressing needs, and (3) to guide future investigations to maximize potential outcomes. This will facilitate more rapid and efficient translation to clinical care and improve health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been growing public awareness and increasing attention to young women with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), who represent an extreme phenotype. Young women presenting with AMI may develop coronary disease by different mechanisms and often have worse recoveries, with higher risk for morbidity and mortality compared with similarly aged men. The purpose of this cardiovascular perspective piece is to review recent studies of AMI in young women. More specifically, we emphasize differences in the epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of AMI in young women (when compared with men) across the continuum of care, including their pre-AMI, in-hospital, and post-AMI periods, and highlight gaps in knowledge and outcomes that can inform the next generation of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sex disparities in reperfusion therapy for patients with acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction have been documented. However, little is known about whether these patterns exist in the comparison of young women with men.Methods and Results: We examined sex differences in rates, types of reperfusion therapy, and proportion of patients exceeding American Heart Association reperfusion time guidelines for ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction in a prospective observational cohort study (2008-2012) of 1465 patients 18 to 55 years of age, as part of the US Variations in Recovery: Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young AMI Patients (VIRGO) study at 103 hospitals enrolling in a 2:1 ratio of women to men. Of the 1238 patients eligible for reperfusion, women were more likely to be untreated than men (9% versus 4%, P=0.002). There was no difference in reperfusion strategy for the 695 women and 458 men treated. Women were more likely to exceed in-hospital and transfer time guidelines for percutaneous coronary intervention than men (41% versus 29%; odds ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.27-2.16), more so when transferred (67% versus 44%; odds ratio, 2.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-4.07); and more likely to exceed door-to-needle times (67% versus 37%; odds ratio, 2.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.23-2.18). After adjustment for sociodemographic, clinical, and organizational factors, sex remained an important factor in exceeding reperfusion guidelines (odds ratio, 1.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.28-2.33).Conclusions: Young women with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction are less likely to receive reperfusion therapy and more likely to have reperfusion delays than similarly aged men. Sex disparities are more pronounced among patients transferred to percutaneous coronary intervention institutions or who received fibrinolytic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies of sex-based differences in older adults with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have yielded mixed results. We, therefore, sought to evaluate sex-based differences in presentation characteristics, treatments, functional impairments, and in-hospital complications in a large, well-characterized population of older adults (≥75 years) hospitalized with AMI.Methods and Results: We analyzed data from participants enrolled in SILVER-AMI (Comprehensive Evaluation of Risk Factors in Older Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction)-a prospective observational study consisting of 3041 older patients (44% women) hospitalized for AMI. Participants were stratified by AMI subtype (ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI] and non-STEMI [NSTEMI]) and subsequently evaluated for sex-based differences in clinical presentation, functional impairments, management, and in-hospital complications. Among the study sample, women were slightly older than men (NSTEMI: 82.1 versus 81.3, P<0.001; STEMI: 82.2 versus 80.6, P<0.001) and had lower rates of prior coronary disease. Women in the NSTEMI subgroup presented less frequently with chest pain as their primary symptom. Age-associated functional impairments at baseline were more common in women in both AMI subgroups (cognitive impairment, NSTEMI: 20.6% versus 14.3%, P<0.001; STEMI: 20.6% versus 12.4%, P=0.001; activities of daily living disability, NSTEMI: 19.7% versus 11.4%, P<0.001; STEMI: 14.8% versus 6.4%, P<0.001; impaired functional mobility, NSTEMI: 44.5% versus 30.7%, P<0.001; STEMI: 39.4% versus 22.0%, P<0.001). Women with AMI had lower rates of obstructive coronary disease (NSTEMI: P<0.001; STEMI: P=0.02), driven by lower rates of 3-vessel or left main disease than men (STEMI: 38.8% versus 58.7%; STEMI: 24.3% versus 32.1%), and underwent revascularization less commonly (NSTEMI: 55.6% versus 63.6%, P<0.001; STEMI: 87.3% versus 93.3%, P=0.01). Rates of bleeding were higher among women with STEMI (26.2% versus 15.6%, P<0.001) but not NSTEMI (17.8% versus 15.7%, P=0.21). Women had a higher frequency of bleeding following percutaneous coronary intervention with both NSTEMI (11.0% versus 7.8%, P=0.04) and STEMI (22.6% versus 14.8%, P=0.02).Conclusions: Among older adults hospitalized with AMI, women had a higher prevalence of age-related functional impairments and, among the STEMI subgroup, a higher incidence of overall bleeding events, which was driven by higher rates of nonmajor bleeding events and bleeding following percutaneous coronary intervention. These differences may have important implications for in-hospital and posthospitalization needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]