title: Differences in skeletal muscle between men and women with chronic heart failure.
abstract: Men with chronic heart failure (CHF) have alterations in their skeletal muscle that are partially responsible for a decreased exercise tolerance. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether skeletal muscle alterations in women with CHF are similar to those observed in men and if these alterations are related to exercise intolerance. Twenty-five men and thirteen women with CHF performed a maximal exercise test for evaluation of peak oxygen consumption (VO(2)) and resting left ventricular ejection fraction, after which a biopsy of the vastus lateralis was performed. Twenty-one normal subjects (11 women, 10 men) were also studied. The relationship between muscle markers and peak VO(2) was consistent for CHF men and women. When controlling for gender, analysis showed that oxidative enzymes and capillary density are the best predictors of peak VO(2.) These results indicate that aerobically matched CHF men and women have no differences in skeletal muscle biochemistry and histology. However, when CHF groups were separated by peak exercise capacity of 4.5 metabolic equivalents (METs), CHF men with peak VO(2) >4.5 METs had increased citrate synthase and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase compared with CHF men with peak VO(2) <4.5 METs. CHF men with a lower peak VO(2) had increased capillary density compared with men with higher peak VO(2). These observations were not reproduced in CHF women. This suggests that differences may exist in how skeletal muscle adapts to decreasing peak VO(2) in patients with CHF.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. dusch001@mc.duke.edu
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Duscha
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Annex
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Keteyian
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Samsa
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Brawner
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Schachat
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Kraus
mesh_terms: D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology; D002303:Cardiac Output, Low / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D004746:Enoyl-CoA Hydratase / Q000378:metabolism; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000098:blood supply / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010807:Physical Endurance; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013318:Stroke Volume
chemical_list: D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase; D004746:Enoyl-CoA Hydratase