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, echo-cardiography, 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 lower percentage of ischaemic cardiopathy in women, no gender survival benefit was found in our population of CHF patients receiving optimal medical therapy.