Sex differences in cardiac magnetic resonance features in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Whether sex differences exist in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) findings in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) remain unknown. We sought to assess and compare CMR characteristics in male and female patients with HCM. From January-2006 to October-2017, 165 consecutive HCM patients evaluated with CMR were included. All clinical and complementary test information was prospectively collected. At the time of CMR evaluation women were older (70 [57–75] vs. 61 [47–72] years, p = 0.02) and more symptomatic in terms of dyspnea (New York Heart Association class II–IV 47.2 vs. 24.1%, p = 0.003) and palpitations (19.6 vs. 4.6%, p = 0.006) and received more frequently treatment with diuretics (49.1% vs. 23.4%, p = 0.001). On echocardiographic examination more women had obstructive physiology (45.1 vs. 20.6%, p = 0.002). On CMR evaluation, women showed smaller left ventricular end-systolic volume index (13 [10–15] vs. 16 [13–21] ml/m2, p < 0.001), higher left ventricular ejection fraction (77 [74–80] vs. 72 [66–78]%, p = 0.004), more marked left ventricular outflow tract acceleration (54.7 vs. 26.4%, p < 0.001) and mitral regurgitation (33.3 vs. 12.7%, p = 0.002). In multivariable analysis, female sex [OR 2.44 (1.04–5.73), p = 0.04] and left ventricular end-systolic volume index [OR 1.60 (1.08–2.38), p = 0.018] were independently associated with obstructive physiology. Women with HCM have more frequently obstructive physiology, a finding that could be related to the smaller left ventricular end-systolic volume.