Gender-Related Differences in Patients with Acute Heart Failure: Observation from the Journey Heart Failure-Turkish Population Study.

BACKGROUND

Gender-related clinical variations in patients with acute heart failure have been described in previous studies. However, there is still a lack of research on gender differences in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure in Türkiye. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical features, in-hospital approaches, and outcomes of male and female patients hospitalized for acute heart failure.

METHODS

Differences in clinical characteristics, medication prescription, hospital management, and outcomes between males and females with acute heart failure were investigated from the Journey Heart Failure-Turkish Population study.

RESULTS

Nine hundred eighteen patients (57.2%) were men and 688 (42.8%) were women. Women were older than men (70.48 ± 13.20 years vs. 65.87 ± 12.82 years; P <.001). The frequency of comorbidities such as hypertension (72.7% vs. 62.4%, P <.001), diabetes (46.5% vs. 38.5%, P = .001),  atrial  fibrillation  (46.5%  vs.  33.4%,  P <.001), New York Heart Association class III-IV symptoms (80.6% vs. 71.2%, P =.001), and dyspnea in the rest (73.8% vs. 68.3%, P =.044) were more common in women on admission. Male patients were more frequently hospitalized with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (51.0% vs. 72.4%, P <.001). In-hospital mortality was higher among female patients (9.3% vs. 6.4%, P =.022). Higher  New  York  Heart  Association  class,  lower  estimated  glomerular  filtration  rate, higher N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide on admission, and mechanical ventilation usage were the independent parameters of in-hospital mortality, whereas the female gender was not.

CONCLUSION

Our study clearly demonstrated the diversity in presentation, management, and in-hospital outcomes of acute heart failure between male and female patients. Although left ventricular systolic functions were better in female patients, in-hospital mortality was higher. Recognizing these differences in the management of heart failure in different sexes will serve better results in clinical practice.