Women in cardiac rehabilitation.

Abstract

Women have been underrepresented in both cardiac rehabilitation (CR) clinical care and research studies. This review summarizes the available data on women in CR, including referral and enrollment patterns, baseline characteristics, and sex-specific outcomes reported within each core component of care. Women in CR tend to be older than their male counterparts and to have a greater burden of comorbidities and coronary risk factors and lower functional status. Women and men seem to benefit equally from CR, with improvements in clinical, psychosocial, and behavioral outcomes, but sex-specific data are lacking for several of the core components of care. Future research needs to test single and multiple behavioral interventions in randomized controlled trials, paying particular attention to their sex specificity, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness within CR and secondary prevention programs.