Sex Differences in Heart Failure—Female Representation in Heart Failure Studies

Impact of sex on clinical and laboratory parameters in patients with heart failure: insights from the Colombian Heart Failure Registry (RECOLFACA)

INTRODUCTION

Heart failure (HF) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study aimed to assess the impact of sex on sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters in patients with HF who were included in the Colombian Heart Failure Registry (RECOLFACA).

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional analytical research. All 2528 patients included in RECOLFACA were analysed. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare median values as well as first and third quartiles (Q1-Q3). The age-related trend of NT-proBNP levels for both men and women groups was statistically evaluated.

RESULTS

The study included 2528 patients with HF (1072 women and 1456 men). The echocardiographic evidence showed that men presented reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (79.63 vs. 69.75%, respectively; p < 0.001) more often than women, which had a significantly higher proportion of preserved LVEF (20.46 vs.11.24%, respectively; p < 0.001). Women displayed a higher value of systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001) and heart rate (p = 0.014) compared to men. Haemoglobin, creatinine, and sodium levels were significantly higher in men. Men had a considerably lower glomerular filtration rate value, with the median reaching a G3a value for chronic renal failure. According to age, the levels of NT-proBNP in each sex increased equivalently with age.

CONCLUSION

Sex differences presented in this study are comparable to those discovered in other nations. However, certain variations show that these sex differences may differ by geographical area, which should encourage further investigations to describe them.