Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) despite the advances in medical
management keeps on as the primary cause of morbidity and mortality for
both genders in Western societies. Sex differences though modify the
clinical picture as well as the effectiveness of treatment.
Methods and Results: In this literature review article we searched
publications in English-language on MEDLINE and the Cochrane Database
from the beginning of the databases to January 2016. Among the specific
key words and phrases we used were Diabetes Mellitus; Gender; Coronary
artery disease; Stroke and Cardiovascular disease. Various studies have
found that diabetic women have increased risk of coronary heart disease
than their male counterparts; however, further research into this field
has questioned this finding and there is much controversy among many
researchers. Women have a different risk factor profile, are usually
treated less effectively than men, and have a variance in the levels of
sex hormones throughout their life which complicate the study and
understanding of the mechanisms involved in insulin resistance, diabetes
mellitus and cardiovascular risk profile.
Conclusion: The connection between diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular
disease is variable according to gender and further studies are needed
to elucidate the lenient differentiations in gender specific hormones,
risk factor profile, and therapeutic implications between genders
