Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesCohort study
Sex Differences in the Prevalence, Medical Therapy, and Outcomes in Heart Failure With Improved Ejection Fraction
- Cohort study
- large, diverse health care system
Authors' conclusion
HFimpEF is associated with improved outcomes for both females and males. However, females with HFimpEF have higher rates of WHF events compared with males.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with incident heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) (ejection fraction ≤40%) between 2013 and 2022patients with incident HFrEF (females: 34.8%)
- Participants
- 28,292 adults
- Exposure
- Sex-based differences among patients with heart failure with improved ejection fraction (HFimpEF); HFimpEF vs persistent HFrEF
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
HFimpEF · 12 months following HFrEF
Experienced HFimpEF
35.2%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Females | Males | HFimpEF | persistent HFrEF | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HFimpEF by sex · 12 months following HFrEF · Females more likely to experience HFimpEF | 36.5% | 34.5% | Not reported in the abstract | Not reported in the abstract | P < 0.0001 |
Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) use among patients with HFimpEF
- Similar among females and males and declined after incident HFimpEF in both sexes
Worsening heart failure (WHF) and all-cause death · 1 year postincident HFrEF
- HFimpEF had better WHF outcomes and all-cause death outcomes than persistent HFrEF, consistent by sex
- adjusted for demographic and clinical characteristics
WHF among patients with HFimpEF by sex
- Females with HFimpEF had higher rates of WHF compared with males with HFimpEF
- even when adjusted for clinical covariates
Original publication
Sex Differences in the Prevalence, Medical Therapy, and Outcomes in Heart Failure With Improved Ejection Fraction. JACC Heart Fail. Published 8 October 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jchf.2026.103372
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it