Paul K. Crane M.D.                           Washington University
Evaluating guidelines for coronary heart disease in women 
         
 

Introduction. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. However, the prevalence of coronary heart disease is lower for women at every age than is the prevalence in men. This lower prevalence makes the predictive values of any diagnostic test for coronary artery disease lower in women than in men. This project evaluated the various guidelines that have been promulgated to determine how successfully they navigate the difficult issues of prevalence and predictive value.

Methods. Review of articles and textbooks that discussed the evaluation of coronary heart disease specifically in women were identified. References from these works were obtained. These references were then reviewed using pre-established criteria for methodologic adequacy and size of experimental groups, and each reference was graded on five point scale. Discussions of evaluation of coronary heart disease in women were then assessed based on the grade of evidence each utilized.