Gender Differences in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Do we need to better understand gender differences in order to understand the pathophysiology of heart failure? Yes, according to a new study by Nakada et al. In the English version of this dual language podcast, listen as Associate Editor Masafumi Kitakaze interviews lead author Yoshihiko Saito (Nara Medical University) and guest expert Tomoko Ichiki (Mayo Clinic) about the work by Saito and colleagues, which analyzed the differences in prognostic power of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in men and women, as well as gender differences in age and ejection fraction distribution among heart failure patients. How do the results of Saito and colleagues, which clearly show that the pathophysiology of heart failure differs between men and women, impact potential clinical treatment strategies? Listen and learn more.

Yasuki Nakada, Rika Kawakami, Tomoya Nakano, Akihiro Takitsume, Hitoshi Nakagawa, Tomoya Ueda, Taku Nishida, Kenji Onoue, Tsunenari Soeda, Satoshi Okayama, Yukiji Takeda, Makoto Watanabe, Hiroyuki Kawata, Hiroyuki Okura, Yoshihiko Saito Gender Differences in Clinical Characteristics and Long-Term Outcome in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Patients with Preserved and Reduced Ejection Fraction Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published online January 8, 2016, DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00602.2015.