Sex Differences in Dilated Cardiomyopathy Prognosis

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common type of cardiomyopathy, and it often has a poor outcome. Sex differences in the prognosis of patients with DCM remain controversial. The present meta-analysis aimed to investigate whether sex plays a role in the outcome of patients with DCM and to provide real-world information on these potential sex differences for physicians and patients.

We searched the PubMed, Cochrane, and EMBASE databases for published cohort studies up to February 16, 2020 that reported sex-specific prognostic outcomes (e.g., all-cause mortality; sudden cardiac death (SCD) ) in patients with DCM.

Finally, 5 clinical cohort studies with a total of 5,709 patients were included. The results showed that males with DCM had a higher risk of all-cause mortality than females (HR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.36~1.90; P < 0.00001). Next, the included studies were divided into short-term (< 5 years) and long-term (≥ 5 years) outcome groups by follow-up duration. Males showed a higher risk of all-cause mortality in both subgroups (< 5 years, HR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.13~2.23; P = 0.008; ≥ 5 years, HR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.33~2.05; P < 0.00001). In addition, the risks of SCD (HR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.63~2.61; P = 0.002) and cardiovascular mortality in males (HR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.25~2.23; P = 0.0005) were higher than those in females.

The evidence from the published studies suggested that compared with females, males with DCM had an increased risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and SCD.