Gender-Dependent Differences in Outcome After the Treatment of Infection in Hospitalized Patients

Abstract

Disparity in diagnosis, treatment, and outcome between men and women among many disease processes has garnered increasing interest over the past decade, and gender-dependent differences in outcome and quality of care have been acknowledged by the American Medical Association's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs and others as requiring prudent investigation.^1,2 Part of the impetus for examination of gender differences over a broad range of diagnoses stems from reports of increased mortality in women with ischemic cardiac disease.^3-7 Studies of other cohorts have demonstrated mixed results regarding gender inequality in outcome. In initial reports of patients who were mechanically ventilated, for example, mortality was not affected by gender,⁸ while a more recent study found being female to be independently associated with hospital mortality in a similar population.⁹ However, men with cirrhosis undergoing surgery appear to have a higher complication rate than women with cirrhosis.¹⁰