title: Sex-related differences in patients' responses to heart failure therapy.
abstract: Men and women with heart failure display important differences in clinical characteristics that might affect their responses to pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies. In women, heart failure is associated with a higher frequency of hypertension, nonischemic cardiomyopathy and left bundle branch block than in men. Subgroup analyses of data from randomized clinical trials suggest that these differences result in a differential response to heart failure therapies, including a somewhat better response to β-blockers, a worse prognosis with digoxin therapy, and a lower survival benefit with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in women. Importantly, female patients with heart failure also derive significantly greater improvements in cardiac volumes from cardiac resynchronization therapy than do male patients, and this treatment is associated with reduced risks of all-cause mortality and heart failure events among women with mild symptoms. These data suggest that sex-related differences might exist in response to both medical and device therapies for patients with heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Division, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
authors.forename: Alon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barsheshet
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brenyo
authors.forename: Ilan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goldenberg
authors.forename: Arthur J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Moss
mesh_terms: D058406:Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D004554:Electric Countershock / Q000295:instrumentation; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents