Nio A Q X, Stöhr E J, Shave R E
a Department of Physiology and Health, Cardiff School of Sport , Cardiff Metropolitan University , Cardiff , UK.
Climacteric. 2017 Oct;20(5):476-483. doi: 10.1080/13697137.2017.1356814. Epub 2017 Aug 8.
Cardiovascular function generally decreases with age, but whether this decrease differs between men and women is unclear. Our aims were twofold: (1) to investigate age-related sex differences in left ventricular (LV) structure, function and mechanics, and (2) to compare these measures between pre- and postmenopausal women in the middle-aged group.
Resting echocardiography was performed in a cross-sectional sample of 82 healthy adults (14 young men, 19 middle-aged men, 15 young women, 34 middle-aged women: 15 premenopausal and 19 postmenopausal). Two-way ANOVAs were used to examine sex × age interactions, and t-tests to compare pre- and postmenopausal women (α < 0.1).
Normalized LV mass, stroke volume and end-diastolic volume were significantly lower in middle-aged than young men, but this difference was smaller between middle-aged and young women. Peak systolic apical mechanics were significantly greater in middle-aged men than in middle-aged women, but not between young men and women. Postmenopausal women had significantly lower LV relaxation and mechanics (torsion, twisting velocity and apical circumferential strain rates) compared with middle-aged premenopausal women.
Our cross-sectional findings suggest that the hearts of men and women may age differently, with men displaying greater differences in LV volumes accompanied by differences in apical mechanics.
心血管功能通常会随着年龄增长而下降，但这种下降在男性和女性之间是否存在差异尚不清楚。我们的目标有两个：（1）研究左心室（LV）结构、功能和力学方面与年龄相关的性别差异；（2）比较中年组绝经前和绝经后女性的这些指标。
对82名健康成年人（14名年轻男性、19名中年男性、15名年轻女性、34名中年女性：15名绝经前和19名绝经后）的横断面样本进行静息超声心动图检查。采用双向方差分析来检验性别×年龄的交互作用，并采用t检验来比较绝经前和绝经后女性（α<0.1）。
中年男性的标准化左心室质量、每搏输出量和舒张末期容积显著低于年轻男性，但中年和年轻女性之间的这种差异较小。中年男性的收缩期峰值心尖力学显著大于中年女性，但年轻男性和女性之间没有差异。与中年绝经前女性相比，绝经后女性的左心室舒张和力学（扭转、扭转速度和心尖圆周应变率）显著降低。
我们的横断面研究结果表明，男性和女性的心脏衰老方式可能不同，男性左心室容积差异更大，同时伴有心尖力学差异。
