Atrial Fibrillation and Ventricular Arrhythmias: Sex Differences in Electrophysiology, Epidemiology, Clinical Presentation, and Clinical Outcomes.

Atrial Fibrillation and Ventricular Arrhythmias: Sex Differences in Electrophysiology, Epidemiology, Clinical Presentation, and Clinical Outcomes. Circulation. 2017 Feb 07;135(6):593-608 Authors: Gillis AM Abstract Sex-specific differences in the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, clinical treatment, and clinical outcomes of atrial fibrillation (AF), sustained ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death are recognized. Sex hormones cause differences in cardiac electrophysiological parameters between men and women that may affect the risk for arrhythmias. The incidence and prevalence of AF is lower in women than in men. However, because women live longer and AF prevalence increases with age, the absolute number of women with AF exceeds that of men. Women with AF are more symptomatic, present with more atypical symptoms, and report worse quality of life in comparison with men. Female sex is an independent risk factor for death or stroke attributable to AF. Oral anticoagulation therapy for stroke prevention has similar efficacy for men and women, but older women treated with warfarin have a higher residual risk of stroke in comparison with men. Women with AF are less likely to receive rhythm control antiarrhythmic drug therapy, electric cardioversion, or catheter ablation in comparison with men. The incidence and prevalence of sustained ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death are lower in women than in ...
Source: Circulation - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Circulation Source Type: research