Impact of biological sex on valvular heart disease, interventions, and outcomes

Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2024 Mar 1. doi: 10.1139/cjpp-2023-0390. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTValvular heart disease (VHD) is common, affecting >14% of individuals age >75, and is associated with morbidity, including heart failure and arrhythmia, and risk of early mortality. Increasingly, important sex differences are being found between men and women with VHD. These sex differences can involve the epidemiology, pathophysiology, presentation, diagnosis, and outcomes of the disease. Women are often disadvantaged, and female sex has been shown to be associated with delayed diagnosis and inferior outcomes in various forms of VHD. In addition, the unique pathophysiologic state of pregnancy is associated with increased risk for maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality in many forms of VHD. Therefore, understanding and recognizing these sex differences, and familiarity with the attendant risks of pregnancy and management of pregnant women with VHD, is of great importance for any primary care or cardiovascular medicine practitioner caring for the female patient. This review will outline sex differences in aortic, mitral, pulmonic, and tricuspid VHD, with particular focus on differences in pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and outcomes. In addition, the pathophysiology and management implications of pregnancy will be discussed.PMID:38427984 | DOI:10.1139/cjpp-2023-0390
Source: Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Source Type: research