No gender survival difference in a population of patients with chronic heart failure related to left ventricular systolic dysfunction and receiving optimal medical therapy

introduction. - Controversial results have been published concerning a possible gender survival difference in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods.- We analysed data from consecutive patients with stable CHF admitted to our department for prognostic evaluation. Patients underwent coronary angiography, echocardiography, radionuclide angiography and a cardiopulmonary exercise test. Results.- We included 613 consecutive patients of whom 115 (19%) were women. The major difference in clinical characteristics was a higher proportion of ischaemic cardiomyopathy in men compared to women (51% vs 28%, p<0.0001) and a lower left ventricular ejection fraction (35 +/- 9 vs 38 +/- 9%, p=0.001). Therapeutic management was similar in men and women. A total of 140 cardiovascular-related deaths and 4 urgent transplantations occurred during a median follow-up of 1.234 days. There was no gender difference in cardiac survival. Cardiovascular mortality rates at 2 years were 11% in men and 13% in women. Conclusions.- Despite a tower percentage of ischaemic cardiopathy in women, no gender survival benefit was found in our population of CHF patients receiving optimal medical therapy. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.