Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesCohort study
Sex differences in acute heart failure: Clinical presentation, imaging findings, and short-term recovery
- prospective observational study
Authors' conclusion
Females and males hospitalized with AHF exhibited distinct clinical presentation and imaging profiles during the early in-hospital assessment. Among patients completing follow-up, short-term recovery was similar between sexes, with no statistically significant sex differences in 180-day clinical outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Adults hospitalized with acute heart failure (AHF)248 (43.7%) were female
- Participants
- 567 adults
- Exposure
- Females vs males
- Femalesn = 248
- Outcome
- Composite of:
- All-cause mortality
- Heart failure readmission
- Follow-up
- Within 180 days
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- No statistically significant sex differences were observed in the 180-day composite outcome
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Left ventricular ejection fraction · early in-hospital assessment
Absolute global longitudinal strain · early in-hospital assessment
Left ventricular mass index · early in-hospital assessment
| Outcome | Females | Males |
|---|---|---|
| Relative wall thickness · early in-hospital assessment | 0.51 | 0.47 |
| Lung ultrasound B-line count · early in-hospital assessment | 2 (range in brackets 0–9) | 5 (range in brackets 1–12) |
- Left ventricular ejection fraction: p<0.001
- Absolute global longitudinal strain: p=0.04
- Left ventricular mass index: p<0.001
- Relative wall thickness: p=0.002
- Lung ultrasound B-line count: p=0.003
Baseline characteristics and clinical presentation
- Females were older and more frequently had atrial fibrillation and hypertension, whereas males more frequently had dyslipidemia and ischemic heart disease
- Females more frequently presented with palpitations and peripheral edema, whereas males more frequently reported chest pain
Improvements in cardiac function, congestion, and NT-proBNP · 1-3 months after discharge
- Similar between sexes
- Among patients completing follow-up
Original publication
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it