School of Nursing, The University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, BC, Canada.
School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, BC, Canada.
West J Nurs Res. 2021 Dec;43(12):1093-1104. doi: 10.1177/0193945921999448. Epub 2021 Mar 12.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in the world. Despite the increasing prevalence, there remains a limited understanding of how the pre-diagnosis symptom experience varies by gender. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively explore gender differences/similarities in the pre-diagnosis period of AF. Twenty-six adults (13 men and 13 women) were interviewed guided by the Symptom Experience in AF (SEAF). Data were analyzed using a two-step approach to thematic analysis. Women had greater challenges receiving a timely diagnosis, with 10 women (77%) experiencing symptoms ≥1 year prior to their diagnosis, in comparison to only three (23%) of the men. Women also reported more severe symptoms, less AF-related knowledge, viewed themselves as low risk for cardiovascular disease, and described how their comorbid conditions confused AF symptom evaluation. This study provides a foundational understanding of differences/similarities in the AF symptom experience by gender.
心房颤动（AF）是世界上最常见的心律失常。尽管患病率不断上升，但对于性别如何影响预诊断症状体验仍知之甚少。本研究旨在回顾性探讨 AF 预诊断期的性别差异/相似性。 26 名成年人（13 名男性和 13 名女性）接受了心房颤动症状体验（SEAF）的指导访谈。使用主题分析的两步法对数据进行分析。 女性在获得及时诊断方面面临更大的挑战，有 10 名女性（77%）在诊断前出现症状≥1 年，而男性只有 3 名（23%）。女性还报告了更严重的症状，对 AF 的了解较少，认为自己患心血管疾病的风险较低，并描述了她们的合并症如何混淆了 AF 症状评估。本研究提供了对性别影响 AF 症状体验的差异/相似性的基本了解。
