Vnitr Lek 2009, 55(Suppl 1):19-22

Differences between male and female patients in acute cardiac failure

J. Špinar

Interní kardiologická klinika Lékařské fakulty MU a FN Brno, pracoviště Bohunice, přednosta prof. MUDr. Jindřich Špinar, CSc., FESC

Acute heart failure is a major and growing cause of in hospital mortality in developed countries. Differences between male and female hospitalised for acute heart failure were observed in all registries and clinical studies. We compare data from European registries AHEAD (Acute HEArt Database), EHFS II (EuroHeart Failure Survey programme II) or DIAMOND (Dispensibility Improvement And Remodeling in Diastolic Heart Failure study) with US registries ADHERE and OPTIMIZE HF. Women are older than men when admitted with heart failure in all registries, the mean age of women is 73-75 years, and the mean age of men is 68-70 years. Women have higher systolic blood pressure; the mean systolic blood pressure is about 140 mm Hg for women and 130 mm Hg for men, while diastolic blood pressure is about 80 mm Hg for both sexes. Heart failure with preserved left ventricular function predominates in women; the mean ejection fraction is about 43% in women, while about 38% in men. Men have more frequently obstructive lung disease, while women have more frequently anaemia. Despite these differences, length of stay and in-hospital mortality rates is similar, but if adjusted for age, male gender is associated with an increased risk of death.

Keywords: acute heart failure; gender differences; age; blood pressure; mortality

Received: April 10, 2009; Published: February 1, 2009  Show citation