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Author's Response to Letter to the Editor

SEX AND RACE-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN ELDERLY HEART FAILURE PATIENTS WITH PRESERVED LEFT VENTRICULAR SYSTOLIC FUNCTION

Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Our study examined an 18-month overall mortality from diastolic heart failure for elderly hospitalized patients in Northeastern Ohio. No significant difference was found between men and women or between African Americans and whites (1). In their Letter to the Editor published in this issue, Ahmed and Allman report the results from analyses of 200 elderly patients with persevered left ventricular systolic function. They found women to have lower 4-year mortality when compared to men. They also found that African American patients have lower 4-year mortality than whites even though this difference was not statistically significant (2).

It is important to note that, although Ahmed and Allman examined a different patient population from a different part of the country and adjusted for a different set of predictors, their overall results appear similar to ours. For instance, they noted that in their sample, there were no statistically significant differences by sex or race in overall mortality at 18 months, which is consistent with what our data showed. Their finding that women had better 4-year mortality than men is interesting and worthy of further investigation. Although we were not able to look at 4-year mortality in our study, we agree with Ahmed and Allman that 4-year mortality is a better outcome in evaluating prognosis in diastolic heart failure.

Acknowledgments

Address correspondence to Said A. Ibrahim, MD, MPH, CHER&P, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, University Drive C, 11-East (130 A-U), Pittsburgh, PA 15240. E-mail: said.ibrahim2{at}med.va.gov

REFERENCES

8. Ibrahim SA, Burant CJ, Kwoh CK. Elderly hospitalized patients with heart failure: lack of gender and ethnic differences in 18-month mortality rates. J Gerontol Med Sci.. 2003;58A:M56-59.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
9. Ahmed A, Allman RM. Sex-related difference in mortality of elderly heart failure patients with preserved left ventricular systolic function [Letter to the Editor]. J Gerontol Med Sci.. 2003;58A:671.[Medline]

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