Gender differences in the clinical characteristics and atrioventricular nodal conduction properties in patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia.
BACKGROUND
The detailed electrophysiological characteristics of the gender differences associated with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) have not been clarified. This study investigated the gender-related electrophysiological differences in a large series of patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation.


RESULTS
A total of 2,088 consecutive AVNRT patients (men/women 869/1,219) who underwent catheter ablation were enrolled in this study. We evaluated the gender differences in their electrophysiological characteristics. Women had a significantly younger age of onset, higher incidence of multiple jumps, shorter AH interval, atrial effective refractory period (ERP), anterograde fast pathway ERP, anterograde slow pathway ERP, and retrograde slow pathway ERP, and longer ventricular ERP than men. The incidence of baseline ventriculoatrial dissociation was lower in women than in men. Women needed less isoproterenol/atropine to induce AVNRT. No gender differences in the radiation exposure time, procedure time, complication rate, acute success rate, or second procedure rate were noted. Both typical and atypical AVNRT were more predominant in women. In the patients with atypical AVNRT, there was no significant gender difference in incidence of baseline ventriculoatrial dissociation; however, the retrograde slow pathway ERP was significantly shorter in women than in men. Women of premenopausal age (≤50 years old) had a significantly higher incidence of anterograde multiple jumps and a retrograde jump phenomenon, and a shorter anterograde slow pathway ERP and retrograde slow pathway ERP than those of women over 50 years old.


CONCLUSIONS
Gender differences in the anterograde and retrograde AV nodal electrophysiology were noted in the patients with AVNRT.
Suenari
Kazuyoshi
K
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan.
Hu
Yu-Feng
YF
Tsao
Hsuan-Ming
HM
Tai
Ching-Tai
CT
Chiang
Chern-En
CE
Lin
Yenn-Jiang
YJ
Chang
Shih-Lin
SL
Lo
Li-Wei
LW
Ta-Chuan
Tuan
T
Lee
Pi-Chang
PC
Tung
Nguyen Huu
NH
Huang
Shih-Yu
SY
Wu
Tsu-Juey
TJ
Chen
Shih-Ann
SA
D017677:Age Distribution; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013611:Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology