Nemzeti szívprogram(NVKP_16-1–2016-0017) Támogató: NKFIH
(Higher Education Institutional Excellence Programme of the Ministry of Human Capacities
of Hungary, within the framework of the Therapeutic Development thematic programme
of the Semmelweis University)
COST
Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a complex disorder and a leading cause of death and
morbidity in both men and women. Sex however affects several aspects of IHD, including
pathophysiology, incidence, clinical presentation, diagnosis as well as treatment
and outcome. Several diseases or risk factors frequently associated with IHD can modify
cellular signalling cascades, thus affecting ischemia/reperfusion injury as well as
responses to cardioprotective interventions. Importantly, the prevalence and impact
of risk factors and several comorbidities differ between males and females, and their
effects on IHD development and prognosis might differ according to sex. The cellular
and molecular mechanisms underlying these differences are still poorly understood,
and their identification might have important translational implications in the prediction
or prevention of risk of IHD in men and women. Despite this, most experimental studies
on IHD are still undertaken in animal models in the absence of risk factors and comorbidities,
and assessment of potential sex-specific differences are largely missing. This ESC
WG Position Paper will discuss: a) the importance of sex as a biological variable
in cardiovascular research, b) major biological mechanisms underlying sex-related
differences relevant to IHD risk factors and comorbidities, c) prospects and pitfalls
of preclinical models to investigate these associations, and finally d) will provide
recommendations to guide future research. Although gender differences also affect
IHD risk in the clinical setting, they will not be discussed in detail here.
