Gender-Related Differences in Heart Failure Biomarkers

Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

Evelyn Santiago-Vacas¹  Giosafat Spitaleri¹  Josep Lupón¹  Germán Cediel¹  Mar Domingo¹  Antoni Bayes-Genis¹  Pau Codina¹ 

[1] Heart Institute, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain;Department of Medicine, CIBERCV, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain;

关键词: biomarker;    heart failure;    gender;    troponin;    natriuretic peptide;    ST2;    Galectine-3;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fcvm.2020.617705

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Important differences in comorbidities and clinical characteristics exist between women and men with heart failure (HF). In particular, differences in the kinetics of biological circulating biomarkers—a critical component of cardiovascular care—are highly relevant. Most circulating HF biomarkers are assessed daily by clinicians without taking sex into account, despite the multiple gender-related differences observed in plasma concentrations. Even in health, compared to men, women tend to exhibit higher levels of natriuretic peptides and galectin-3 and lower levels of cardiac troponins and the cardiac stress marker, soluble ST2. Many biological factors can provide a reliable explanation for these differences, like body composition, fat distribution, or menopausal status. Notwithstanding, these sex-specific differences in biomarker levels do not reflect different pathobiological mechanisms in HF between women and men, and they do not necessarily imply a need to use different diagnostic cut-off levels in clinical practice. To date, the sex-specific prognostic value of HF biomarkers for risk stratification is an unresolved issue that future research must elucidate. This review outlines current evidence regarding gender-related differences in circulating biomarkers widely used in HF, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these differences, and their clinical relevance.

【 授权许可】

CC BY