Gender differences
- Men
- Men experience systolic failure more frequently than women.
- Men with asymptomatic systolic failure experience greater mortality benefit from ACE inhibitor therapy than women.
- Women
- Women experience diastolic failure more frequently than men.
- Women have a higher risk of ACE inhibitor–related cough than men.
- Women experience more digitalis-related death than men.
- Women with diabetes are more predisposed to HF than men.
Classification of heart failure
- Left-sided HF
- Most common form of HF
- Results from inability of LV to
- Empty adequately during systole
- Fill adequately during diastole
- Further classified as
- Systolic
- Diastolic
- Mixed systolic and diastolic
- Blood backs up into left atrium and pulmonary veins
- Increased pulmonary pressure causes fluid leakage →→ pulmonary congestion and edema
