Biological Sex and Its Impact on Clinical Characteristics in Patients Presenting with Myocarditis
Background: Biological sex has a paramount influence on the pathophysiology of diseases, and thus on clinical presentation. In this study, we provide a comprehensive analysis of sex-specific differences in patients with myocarditis. Materials and Methods: Patients with myocarditis who were admitted to our study center in the time-period of 2009 to 2019 were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Clinical data, laboratory parameters and measurements from transthoracic echocardiography were extracted from hospital records. Follow-up was acquired for 2 years after admission. Results: 224 patients with myocarditis were enrolled in this study. Of these, 78% were males and 22% females. Female patients were older (median 50 years vs. 35 years, p<0.0001), had a higher prevalence of respiratory tract infections and less frequently ST-segment elevations on ECG (28% vs. 59%, p= 0.003). Furthermore, C-reactive protein was lower in females (median 0.60 mg/dl vs. 3.90 mg/dl, p<0.0001), but showed a less pronounced decrease within three days when compared to males (fold-change 1.00 vs. 0.80, p= 0.002). Cardiac MRI was conducted less often in females, whereas time to coronary angiography was significantly longer. We found no difference in LV systolic function or all-cause-mortality between the two sexes. Conclusion: We observed sex-specific differences in laboratory parameters, abnormalities on ECG and diagnostic procedures conducted in patients with myocarditis. Understanding these differences, both at the cellular level and in regards to the clinical presentation of patients, could be helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease and could further expand our understanding of its pathophysiology.