Current perspectives. Heart failure woman: does she make any difference?
Significant differences between sexes may influence the prevalence, incidence and severity of the heart failure syndrome. These differences may also interfere with treatment and management. In this review sex differences and similarities have been analyzed focusing on epidemiology, drug therapy and psychological implications. Pathophysiological differences but also a selection bias are evident; such differences bear an influence on clinical management. Gender differences exist even in the health-related quality of life, depression and coping ability. No studies have been specifically designed to investigate gender differences and the exclusion of elderly persons (mainly women) from large trials may compromise the quality of their care.
Opasich
Cristina
C
Divisione di Cardiologia, Fondazione S. Maugeri, Clinica del Lavoro e della Riabilitazione, IRCCS Istituto Scientifico di Pavia Via Ferrata, 8 27100 Pavia. copasich@fsm.it
De Giuli
Federica
F
Majani
Giuseppina
G
Pierobon
Antonia
A
De Feo
Stefania
S
D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D015996:Survival Rate