Gender Related Differences in the Clinical Presentation of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy-An Analysis from the SILICOFCM Database

Andrej Preveden, Miodrag Golubovic, Marija Bjelobrk, Tatjana Miljkovic, Aleksandra Ilic, Snezana Stojsic, Dragan Gajic, Mila Glavaski, Lars S Maier, Nduka Okwose, Dejana Popovic, Fausto Barlocco, Arsen Ristic, Guy A MacGowan, Iacopo Olivotto, Nenad Filipovic, Djordje G Jakovljevic, Lazar Velicki

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    16 Citations (Scopus)
    74 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Background and Objectives: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited cardiac disease that affects approximately 1 in 500 people. Due to an incomplete disease penetrance associated with numerous factors, HCM is not manifested in all carriers of genetic mutation. Although about two-thirds of patients are male, it seems that female gender is associated with more severe disease phenotype and worse prognosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the gender related differences in HCM presentation. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted as a part of the international multidisciplinary SILICOFCM project. Clinical information, laboratory analyses, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and genetic testing data were collected for 362 HCM patients from four clinical centers (Florence, Newcastle, Novi Sad, and Regensburg). There were 33% female patients, and 67% male patients. Results: Female patients were older than males (64.5 vs. 53.5 years, p < 0.0005). The male predominance was present across all age groups until the age of 70, when gender distribution became comparable. Females had higher number of symptomatic individuals then males (69% vs. 52%, p = 0.003), most frequently complaining of dyspnea (50% vs. 30%), followed by chest pain (30% vs. 17%), fatigue (26% vs. 13%), palpitations (22% vs. 13%), and syncope (13% vs. 8%). The most common rhythm disorder was atrial fibrillation which was present in a similar number of females and males (19% vs. 13%, p = 0.218). Levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide were comparable between the genders (571 vs. 794 ng/L, p = 0.244). Echocardiography showed similar thickness of interventricular septum (18 vs. 16 mm, p = 0.121) and posterolateral wall (13 vs. 12 mm, p = 0.656), however, females had a lower number of systolic anterior motion (8% vs. 16%, p = 0.020) and other mitral valve abnormalities. Conclusions: Female patients are underrepresented but seem to have a more pronounced clinical presentation of HCM. Therefore, establishing gender specific diagnostic criteria for HCM should be considered.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number314
    Pages (from-to)314
    Number of pages14
    JournalMedicina (Lithuania)
    Volume58
    Issue number2
    Early online date18 Feb 2022
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 18 Feb 2022

    Bibliographical note

    Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

    Funding

    Funding: This study has been conducted as part of the SILICOFCM project which received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 777204. This article only reflects the author’s view. The Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. The research was partly funded by the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina—Projects of importance for the development of scientific research activities (2021–2024) under the contract No. 142-451-2568/2021-01.

    FundersFunder number
    Autonomous Province of Vojvodina142-451-2568/2021-01
    Horizon Europe777204

      Keywords

      • Familial cardiomyopathy
      • Gender differences
      • Hereditary cardiac disease
      • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
      • Left ventricular hypertrophy
      • Systolic anterior motion

      ASJC Scopus subject areas

      • General Medicine

      Fingerprint

      Dive into the research topics of 'Gender Related Differences in the Clinical Presentation of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy-An Analysis from the SILICOFCM Database'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

      Cite this