AGE-RELATED CLINICAL PATTERNS OF ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE IN WOMEN WITH COMORBIDITIES

Abstract. The clinical course of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in women is strongly influenced by age, hormonal status, and the accumulation of comorbid conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate age-related differences in clinical presentation, comorbidity burden, and revascularization strategies in women with coronary artery disease. A total of 483 female patients with confirmed IHD were analyzed and stratified into age groups. A significant age-dependent increase in major cardiovascular risk factors was observed, including arterial hypertension (up to 86.3%), dyslipidemia (up to 68.6%), carotid artery stenosis (up to 73.2%), and prior myocardial infarction (up to 61.4%) (p < 0.05). Heart failure of NYHA class III was present in 77.8–98.0% of patients, with the highest prevalence in older age groups. Dyspnea was the predominant symptom across all groups, occurring in up to 90.7% of patients. Revascularization strategies varied significantly with age: coronary stenting was more frequently performed in elderly patients due to increased surgical risk, whereas coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was more commonly applied in middle-aged women with complex coronary lesions. These findings emphasize the critical role of age and comorbidity burden in determining disease severity and support the need for individualized, age-adapted treatment strategies in women with IHD.