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Physicians' gender is associated with risk factor control in patients on antihypertensive and lipid lowering

Gunilla Journath1, Mai-Lis Hellénius, Axel C Carlsson

  • 1Department of Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden. gunilla.journath@ki.se

Blood Pressure
|May 8, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Physician gender may impact cardiovascular risk factor control in patients on combined treatment. Patients were more often treated by physicians of their own gender, influencing goal achievement for blood pressure and cholesterol.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Public Health
  • Health Services Research

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of mortality globally.
  • Effective management of cardiovascular risk factors, including hypertension and dyslipidemia, is crucial.
  • Patient-physician relationship dynamics, including gender concordance, may influence treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate gender-specific differences in cardiovascular risk factors.
  • To assess lipid and blood pressure control in patients receiving combined therapy.
  • To examine the influence of physician gender on treatment outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study involving 4319 patients on combined lipid-lowering and antihypertensive treatment.
  • Data collected from consecutive medical records across two national surveys.
  • Analysis of patient demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, and treatment goal achievement stratified by patient and physician gender.

Main Results:

  • Women presented with higher systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol compared to men.
  • Men had higher rates of diabetes and cardiovascular risk scores (SCORE).
  • Patients treated by physicians of the same gender were more likely to achieve treatment goals for blood pressure and total cholesterol, particularly female diabetic patients treated by female physicians.

Conclusions:

  • Physician gender may play a role in the management of cardiovascular risk factors in patients on combined antihypertensive and lipid-lowering therapy.
  • Gender concordance between patient and physician was associated with better achievement of treatment goals.
  • Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these gender-related differences in care.

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