title: Gender Differences in Ventricular-vascular Coupling Following Exercise.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the differences of cardiovascular system between men and women in response to exercise stress.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty healthy youth were tested according to Bruce protocol of exercise stress. They were detected by ultrasonography during the rest, peak exercise, and recovery stages, respectively. The left ventricular diastolic elastance (Ed), effective arterial elastance (Ea), left ventricular end-systolic elatance (Ees), ventricular-vascular coupling index (VVI), and total stiffness index (TSI) were measured and calculated according to the formulas. The results of all stages were compared according to genders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All stages, the Ed, TSI, and VVI of women were higher than those of men, but the Ees was lower than that of men (all P<0.05); there was no significant difference in Ea between men and women. The Ed, Ees, Ea, and TSI were closely related with left ventricular oxygen consumption and heart function, and women showed more closely. Before and after exercise, the changes were different in Ed, Ees, Ea, TSI, and VVI (all P<0.05), and VVI changed least.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Before and after exercise, the ventricular stiffness matched well with arterial stiffness and maintained within a narrow range. For women, the tolerance of exercise was lower than that of men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200080, China.
authors.forename: Zhao-jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200080, China.
authors.forename: Lian-fang
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200080, China.
authors.forename: Xiang-hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*