Angina

This was a cross-sectional observational analysis of nationally representative primary and secondary care data from the United Kingdom. Data on treatments for all myocardial infarction patients in 2003 and 2007 were derived from the Myocardial Ischemia National Audit Project (n=51 755). Data on treatments for patients with chronic angina (n=33 211) or requiring secondary prevention (n=32 976) in 1999 and 2007 were extracted from the General Practice Research Database. Socioeconomic circumstances were defined using a weighted composite of 7 area-level deprivation domains. Treatment estimates were age-standardized. Use of all therapies increased in all patient groups, both men and women. Improvements were most marked in primary care, where use of β-blockers, statins, and angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers for secondary prevention and treatment of angina doubled, from ≈30% to >60%. Small age gradients persisted for some therapies. No consistent socioeconomic gradients or sex differences were observed for myocardial infarction and postrevascularization (hard diagnoses). However, some sex inequality was apparent in the treatment of younger women with angina.