Imaging in Women with Heart Failure: Sex-specific Characteristics and Current Challenges

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Women's Health
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) poses a significant risk to women's health.
• Heart failure (HF), a type of CVD, shows increasing incidence, with women comprising half of all cases.
• HF exhibits distinct sex-specific features in etiology, clinical presentation, and prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the sex-specific aspects of heart failure in women.
• To highlight unique morphological characteristics of women's hearts relevant to cardiovascular assessment.
• To discuss challenges and characteristics of imaging modalities for diagnosing and monitoring HF in women.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on sex-specific differences in heart failure.
• Analysis of etiological, clinical, and outcome data stratified by sex.
• Evaluation of imaging modalities in the context of female HF patients.

Main Results:

• Women with HF are more prone to hypertensive heart disease and HF with preserved ejection fraction.
• Despite a worse quality of life, women generally experience better overall survival rates.
• Unique cardiac morphology in women necessitates consideration during cardiovascular assessment.

Conclusions:

• Tailored diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are essential for managing HF in women.
• Recognizing sex-specific features is critical for effective cardiovascular care.
• Further research into imaging modalities for female HF patients is warranted.