title: Gender differences in right ventricular function in patients with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate sex-related differences in right ventricular (RV) function, assessed with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, in patients with stable non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective multicentre study. We included 71 patients (38 men) and 14 healthy volunteers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age was 60.9 ± 12.2 years. Men presented higher levels of haemoglobin and white blood cell counts than women, and performed better in cardiopulmonary stress testing. A total of 24 patients (12 women) presented severe left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction, 32 (13 female) moderate and 15 (8 women) mild LV systolic dysfunction. In the group with severe LV systolic dysfunction, average right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) was normal in women (52 ± 4 %), whereas it was reduced in men (39 ± 3 %) p = 0.035. Only one woman (8 %) had severe RV systolic dysfunction (RVEF < 35 %) compared with 6 men (50 %) p < 0.001. In patients with moderate and mild LV dysfunction , the mean RVEF was normal in both men and women. In the 14 healthy volunteers, the lowest value of RVEF was 48 % and mean RVEF was normal in women (56 ± 2 %) and in men (51 ±  1 %), p = 0.08.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, RV systolic dysfunction is found mainly in male patients with severe LV systolic dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and Universidad Europea de Madrid, Calle Dr. Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain. mmselles@secardiologia.es.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martínez-Sellés
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pérez-David
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yotti
authors.affiliation: Radiology and Cardiology Departments, Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Borreguero
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Loughlin
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gallego
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ayesta
authors.affiliation: Radiology and Cardiology Departments, Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Olivera
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and Universidad Europea de Madrid, Calle Dr. Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bermejo
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and Universidad Europea de Madrid, Calle Dr. Esquerdo 46, 28007, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernández-Avilés
keywords: Dilated cardiomyopathy; Gender; Heart failure; Right ventricle; Sex