title: Gender-related differences in hospitalized heart failure patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The burden of heart failure (HF)-related hospitalization and mortality of female patients with HF is substantial. Currently, several gender-specific distinctions have been recognized amongst HF patients, but their relationships to outcomes have not been fully elucidated. Accordingly, in the current work, we aimed to explore gender-specific clinical and echocardiographic measures and to assess their potential impact on outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We studied all consecutive HF patients, aged 50 or older, who had been hospitalized between January 2000 and December 2009, and had undergone at least one echocardiography study. A comparative analysis of clinical and echocardiographic findings was performed between 5228 males and 4107 females. Patients were followed for a mean of 2.8 ± 2.6 years. Females compared with males had less ischaemic heart disease, prior stroke, chronic renal failure, and COPD, and higher rates of hypertension, AF, obesity, valvular abnormalities, and pulmonary hypertension. Unadjusted 30-day and 1-year mortality rates were higher among women, while age-adjusted rates were similar. Predictors of outcomes varied between genders. Female-specific predictors of mortality included aortic stenosis, pulmonary hypertension, and malignancy, whereas diastolic dysfunction and chronic renal failure were found to be male-specific predictors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age-adjusted mortality rates of male and female hospitalized HF patients are similarly high. Predictors of mortality, however, are gender distinctive, and these measures may allow a better identification of high-risk HF patients.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine 'B', Beilinson Hospital, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel.
authors: Gideon Y
authors: GY
authors: Stein
authors: Tuvia
authors: T
authors: Ben-Gal
authors: Angelika
authors: A
authors: Kremer
authors: Tamir
authors: T
authors: Bental
authors: Danny
authors: D
authors: Alon
authors: Roman
authors: R
authors: Korenfeld
authors: Idit
authors: I
authors: Yedidia
authors: Avital
authors: A
authors: Porter
authors: Evgeny
authors: E
authors: Abramson
authors: Alexander
authors: A
authors: Sagie
authors: Shmuel
authors: S
authors: Fuchs
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity / Q000639:trends; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D013318:Stroke Volume; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends
keywords: Gender; Heart failure; Mortality