BACKGROUND: The impact of ageing on the human cardiovascular system has been the subject of several studies in recent years, but with insufficient emphasis on defining sex-specific differences. To rectify this, gender-specific differences in structure and function in the human cardiovascular system were studied in a European population during natural ageing. METHODS: Cardiac power output (CPO) was measured and integrated with changes in left ventricular (LV) mass, diastolic, systolic and limb blood flow, blood pressure and exercise capacity in 93 health-screened men and 122 women, aged 20 to 75 years. RESULTS: Correlating with a 21% loss of LV mass, maximum cardiac pumping (i.e. CPOmax=QmaxxMAPmax) and reserve (CR=CPOmax-CPOrest) capacities decreased 20-25% with age in male hearts. In contrast, CPOmax, CR and LV mass were all preserved in ageing women. Maximum cardiac output (Qmax; 26-32%), peak forearm blood flow (FBFpeak; 61%) and exercise capacity (40-50%) all decreased, but more so in men than women. In contrast, systemic vascular resistance (68-75%) and mean arterial pressure (MAPmax; 14-26%) increased in both sexes. CPOrest decreased 27% in men, but was unchanged in women, despite lower early:late diastolic filling (48-51%), Qrest (19-23%) and FBFrest (56%) in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding sex-specific differences in cardiovascular ageing is important for public health and biomedical research, given increasingly larger older populations and the need to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease.
BACKGROUND: The impact of ageing on the human cardiovascular system has been the subject of several studies in recent years, but with insufficient emphasis on defining sex-specific differences. To rectify this, gender-specific differences in structure and function in the human cardiovascular system were studied in a European population during natural ageing. METHODS: Cardiac power output (CPO) was measured and integrated with changes in left ventricular (LV) mass, diastolic, systolic and limb blood flow, blood pressure and exercise capacity in 93 health-screened men and 122 women, aged 20 to 75 years. RESULTS: Correlating with a 21% loss of LV mass, maximum cardiac pumping (i.e. CPOmax=QmaxxMAPmax) and reserve (CR=CPOmax-CPOrest) capacities decreased 20-25% with age in male hearts. In contrast, CPOmax, CR and LV mass were all preserved in ageing women. Maximum cardiac output (Qmax; 26-32%), peak forearm blood flow (FBFpeak; 61%) and exercise capacity (40-50%) all decreased, but more so in men than women. In contrast, systemic vascular resistance (68-75%) and mean arterial pressure (MAPmax; 14-26%) increased in both sexes. CPOrest decreased 27% in men, but was unchanged in women, despite lower early:late diastolic filling (48-51%), Qrest (19-23%) and FBFrest (56%) in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding sex-specific differences in cardiovascular ageing is important for public health and biomedical research, given increasingly larger older populations and the need to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease.
Authors: Maria Nathania; Kieren G Hollingsworth; Matthew Bates; Christopher Eggett; Michael I Trenell; Lazar Velicki; Petar M Seferovic; Guy A MacGowan; Doug M Turnbull; Djordje G Jakovljevic Journal: Heart Date: 2017-06-12 Impact factor: 5.994
Authors: Mike Pryzbek; Maureen MacDonald; Paul Stratford; Julie Richardson; Angelica McQuarrie; Robert McKelvie; Ada Tang Journal: Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle) Date: 2021-11-29
Authors: David Houghton; Thomas W Jones; Sophie Cassidy; Mario Siervo; Guy A MacGowan; Michael I Trenell; Djordje G Jakovljevic Journal: Mech Ageing Dev Date: 2015-11-15 Impact factor: 5.432