Subproject 13 was initiated and launched based on the results of a large retrospective study at the German Heart Institute Berlin, which revealed significant differences in progress after aortocoronary bypass surgery to the disadvantage of women, whereby no significant gender differences in the influence of numerous clinical parameters were found. This prospective study examines the influence of heart failure, hormone status and psychosocial factors on the result after ACVB surgery.
Clinical symptoms of systolic heart failure were more frequent in women in the retrospective analysis. In associated studies of the German Heart Institute Berlin, biopsies taken during surgery revealed indications of gender-specific differences in mechanisms for adaptation to ischemia, which could be the cause of diastolic dysfunction.
Thus, the primary goals of the subproject, in cooperation with other subprojects, are the investigations of
Fundamental information for the improvement of management of the disease should be gained from this data. Knowledge and targeted monitoring of the risk factors for women as well as men saves resources and facilitates better intervention planning. This applies to the planning of surgical interventions as well as interventions in the hormone status and psychosocial care. Moreover, the following molecular and genetic analyses facilitate the discovery and targeted use of new or existing drug strategies.
Women and men undergoing ACVB surgery show important differences regarding their baseline characteristics (as age and risk factor profile) but also in terms of prognosis (post-operative mortality risk). Important – mainly psychosocial – gender-specific risk indicators and risk factors were identified contributing to the higher early post-operative mortality risk in women after ACVB surgery.
The gender-specific research constitutes a cross-sectional element of basically all analyses within the competence network heart failure. Gender-specfic research questions are continuously being followed in cooperation within various subprojects that coordinate long-term follow-up studies.
Prof. Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Institut für Geschlechterforschung in der Medizin
Tel.: +49 (0)30 450525172
E-Mail: ed.etirahcnull@kesorgaz-ztiger.arev