Sex Differences in the Progression and Long-Term Outcomes of Native Mild to Moderate Aortic Stenosis

Background There are limited data on the sex differences in the hemodynamic progression and outcomes of early-stage aortic stenosis (AS). Objectives The authors sought to determine sex differences in hemodynamic progression and outcomes of mild to moderate native AS. Methods This was a retrospective observational cohort study including patients with mild to moderate native tricuspid AS from the Cleveland Clinic echocardiographic database between 2008 and 2016 and followed until 2018. All-cause mortality, aortic valve replacement (AVR), and disease progression assessed by annualized changes in echocardiographic parameters were analyzed based on sex. Results The authors included 2,549 patients (mean age, 74 +/- 7 years and 42.5% women) followed over a median duration of 5.7 years. There was no difference in all-cause mortality between sexes irrespective of age, baseline disease severity, progression to severe AS, and receipt of AVR. Relative to men, women had similar all-cause mortality but lower risk of AVR (adjusted HR: 0.81 [95% CI: 0.67-0.91]; P = 0.009) at 10 years. On 1:1 propensity-matched analysis, men had a significantly faster disease progression represented by greater increases in the median of annualized change in mean gradient (2.10 vs 1.15 mm Hg/y, respectively, P < 0.001), maximum transvalvular velocity (0.42 vs 0.28 m/s/y), left ventricular end-diastolic diameters (0.15 vs 0.048 mm/m(2.7)/y) (P = 0.014). Women have significantly higher left ventricular ejection fraction, filling pressures, and left ventricular septum thickness over time on follow-up echocardiograms compared with men. Conclusions Women with mild to moderate AS had slower hemodynamic progression of AS, were more likely to have preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and concentric left ventricular hypertrophy in addition to lower incidence of AVR compared with men despite similar mortality. These findings provide further evidence that there are distinct sex-specific longitudinal echocardiographic and clinical profiles in patients with AS.