Gender differences in left ventricular function in patients with isolated aortic stenosis.
OBJECTIVE
Hypertrophic response of the left ventricle to systolic overload in aortic stenosis appears to be gender-dependent.


METHODS
To examine gender-related differences in left ventricular (LV) function in patients with isolated severe aortic stenosis, 145 patients (65 women, 80 men; mean age 66 +/- 8 years; range: 50 to 89 years) with aortic valve area <0.8 cm2 who underwent cardiac catheterization were studied. No patient had associated myocardial, coronary or other valve disease; patients with diabetes mellitus and systemic hypertension were excluded.


RESULTS
No significant differences were seen in aortic valve area between men and women. Neither were there any significant gender-related differences in LV end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes, LV end-diastolic pressure, LV mass indexed by body surface area, LV mass:volume ratio, LV mass:height ratio, elastic stiffness constant, ejection fraction, pulmonary wedge pressure, pulmonary arteriolar resistance and preload. Women showed significantly higher mean transaortic gradient, LV peak systolic pressure and peak systolic stress, end-systolic stress:end-systolic volume ratio, heart rate and cardiac index. In the subgroup of patients with LV pressure >199 mmHg, the mass:volume ratio was increased in men compared with women; of note, the mass:volume ratio in women was not increased in this subgroup compared with the general population. LV pump function in this subgroup was normal and did not differ between men and women.


CONCLUSIONS
Although no clear-cut difference in hemodynamic parameters was seen, there was a trend towards a less compensatory increase in LV mass in females.
Favero
Luca
L
Department of Interventional Cardiology, University of Padova Medical School, Padova, Italy.
Giordan
Massimo
M
Tarantini
Giuseppe
G
Ramondo
Angelo Bruno
AB
Cardaioli
Paolo
P
Isabella
Giambattista
G
Chioin
Raffaello
R
Lupia
Mario
M
Razzolini
Renato
R
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012723:Sex; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*