Clinical Research
Vascular Disease
Sex Differences in Arterial Stiffness and Ventricular-Arterial Interactions

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Objectives

This study sought to assess sex differences in ventricular-arterial interactions.

Background

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is more prevalent in women than in men, but the basis for this difference remains unclear.

Methods

Echocardiography and arterial tonometry were performed to quantify arterial and ventricular stiffening and interaction in 461 participants without heart failure (189 men, age 67 ± 9 years; 272 women, age 65 ± 10 years). Aortic characteristic impedance (Zc), total arterial compliance (pulsatile load), and systemic vascular resistance index (steady load) were compared between men and women, and sex-specific multivariable regression analyses were performed to assess associations of these arterial parameters with diastolic dysfunction and ventricular-arterial coupling (effective arterial elastance/left ventricular end-systolic elastance [Ea/Ees]) after adjustment for potential confounders.

Results

Zc was higher and total arterial compliance was lower in women, whereas systemic vascular resistance index was similar between sexes. In women but not men, higher log Zc was associated with mitral inflow E/A ratio (β ± SE: −0.17 ± 0.07), diastolic dysfunction (odds ratio: 7.8; 95% confidence interval: 2.0 to 30.2) and Ea/Ees (β ± SE: 0.13 ± 0.04) (p ≤ 0.01 for all). Similarly, total arterial compliance was associated with E/A ratio (β ± SE: 0.12 ± 0.04), diastolic dysfunction (odds ratio: 0.33; 95% confidence interval: 0.12 to 0.89), and Ea/Ees (β ± SE: −0.09 ± 0.03) in women only (p ≤ 0.03 for all). Systemic vascular resistance index was not associated with diastolic dysfunction or Ea/Ees.

Conclusions

Proximal aortic stiffness (Zc) is greater in women than men, and women may be more susceptible to the deleterious effects of greater pulsatile and early arterial load on diastolic function and ventricular-arterial interaction. This may contribute to the greater risk of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in women.

Key Words

aortic stiffness
diastolic dysfunction
echocardiography
sex specific
ventricular-arterial interaction

Abbreviations and Acronyms

AIx
augmentation index
cfPWV
carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity
CI
confidence interval
DBP
diastolic blood pressure
Ea
effective arterial elastance
Ees
left ventricular end-systolic elastance
Ea/Ees
ventricular-arterial coupling ratio
HFpEF
heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
LAVI
left atrial volume index
OR
odds ratio
PP
pulse pressure
SBP
systolic blood pressure
SVRI
systemic vascular resistance index
TAC
total arterial compliance
Zc
aortic characteristic impedance

Cited by (0)

This work was supported by grants HL89354 and M01 RR00585 from the National Institutes of Health. All authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.