Open AccessRole of Biological Sex in Normal Cardiac Function and in its Disease Outcome – A Review
Author(s) -
K Prabhavathi,
Selvi Kt,
Poornima Kn,
A. Sarvanan
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of clinical and diagnostic research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2249-782X
pISSN - 0973-709X
DOI - 10.7860/jcdr/2014/9635.4771
Subject(s) - cardiac function curve , disease , medicine , testosterone (patch) , heart disease , estrogen , physiology , hormone , endocrinology , cardiology , heart failure
Biological sex plays an important role in normal cardiac physiology as well as in the heart's response to cardiac disease. Women generally have better cardiac function and survival than do men in the face of cardiac disease; however, this is progressively lost when comparing postmenopausal women with age matched men. Animal model of cardiac disease mirror what is seen in humans. Sex hormones contribute significantly to sex based difference in cardiac functioning and in its disease outcome. Estrogen is considered to be cardioprotective, whereas testosterone is detrimental to heart function.