SABV

Sex as a Biological Variant

Data continues to accumulate and suggest that women and men have different risks for the onset, expression, course, treatment, and outcomes across the lifespan. Understanding the mechanisms that underly and explain these sex differences is still unclear and will require translational models of investigating these sex differences, the vulnerabilities across the lifespan and ultimately developing operational research that addresses issues related to women’s health, treatment, and health care. The SABV policy requires that all research factor sex into the design, analysis, and reporting of both vertebrate and human studies.

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the number one killer of women in the United States and affects women and men differently, in prevalence, underlying physiology, risk factors, presenting stepson and outcomes Racial and ethnic disparities occur with black women more likely than white women to experience the disease and die from it. Despite these startling statistics, women continue to lag behind men in enrolling in important clinical trials, trials that could shape and reduce these disparities.

Relevant articles that the Center, our trainees, and partners have published in this area:

Publication Details
Sex Differences Remain Under-Reported in Cardiovascular Publications. Wang SC, Koutroumpakis E, Schulman-Marcus J, Tosh T, Volgman AS, Lyubarova R.J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2021 Mar 5. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2020.8561. Online ahead of print.PMID: 33667122
Sex Differences in Takotsubo Syndrome: A Narrative Review. Agdamag AC, Patel H, Chandra S, Rao A, Suboc TM, Marinescu K, Ledsky C, Volgman AS.J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2020 Aug;29(8):1122-1130. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2019.7741. Epub 2019 Sep 24.PMID: 31549884
Sex-Based Considerations in the Evaluation of Chest Pain and Management of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease. Madan N, Gajo E, Sanghani RM, Volgman AS.Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2020 Jun 23;22(8):39. doi: 10.1007/s11883-020-00855-7.
Trends of Sex Differences in Outcomes of Cardiac Electronic Device Implantations in the United States. Mohamed MO, Volgman AS, Contractor T, Sharma PS, Kwok CS, Rashid M, Martin GP, Barker D, Patwala A, Mamas MA.Can J Cardiol. 2020 Jan;36(1):69-78. doi: 10.1016/j.cjca.2019.08.012. Epub 2019 Aug 22.PMID: 31740167
Sex Differences in the Age of Diagnosis for Cardiovascular Disease and Its Risk Factors Among US Adults: Trends From 2008 to 2017, the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Okunrintemi V, Tibuakuu M, Virani SS, Sperling LS, Volgman AS, Gulati M, Cho L, Leucker TM, Blumenthal RS, Michos ED.J Am Heart Assoc. 2020 Dec 15;9(24):e018764. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.120.018764. Epub 2020 Nov 9.PMID: 33161825 Free article.
Sex differences in rates and causes of 30-day readmissions after cardiac electronic device implantations: insights from the Nationwide Readmissions Database. Mohamed MO, Greenspon A, Van Spall H, Volgman AS, Sharma PS, Alraies MC, Kwok CS, Martin GP, Zachariah D, Patwala A, Mamas MA.Int J Cardiol. 2020 Mar 1;302:67-74. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2019.12.012. Epub 2019 Dec 10.PMID: 31843278
Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure in Women. Madan N, Itchhaporia D, Albert CM, Aggarwal NT, Volgman AS.Heart Fail Clin. 2019 Jan;15(1):55-64. doi: 10.1016/j.hfc.2018.08.006. Epub 2018 Oct 24.PMID: 30449380 Review.
Sex and Race/Ethnicity Differences in Atrial Fibrillation. Volgman AS, Bairey Merz CN, Benjamin EJ, Curtis AB, Fang MC, Lindley KJ, Pepine CJ, Vaseghi M, Waldo AL, Wenger NK, Russo AM.J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019 Dec 3;74(22):2812-2815. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.09.045.PMID: 31779796 Free PMC article. Review. No abstract available.
Agdamag AC, Patel H, Chandra S, Rao A, Suboc TM, Marinescu K, Ledsky C, Volgman AS.J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2020 Aug;29(8):1122-1130. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2019.7741. Epub 2019 Sep 24.PMID: 31549884
Sex Differences in Ischemic Heart Disease: Advances, Obstacles, and Next Steps. Aggarwal NR, Patel HN, Mehta LS, Sanghani RM, Lundberg GP, Lewis SJ, Mendelson MA, Wood MJ, Volgman AS, Mieres JH.Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2018 Feb;11(2):e004437. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.117.004437.PMID: 29449443 Review.
Sex Differences in Atrial Fibrillation-Update on Risk Assessment, Treatment, and Long-Term Risk. Bai CJ, Madan N, Alshahrani S, Aggarwal NT, Volgman AS.Curr Treat Options Cardiovasc Med. 2018 Aug 27;20(10):79. doi: 10.1007/s11936-018-0682-3.PMID: 30146677 Review.
Lipoprotein(a) and Increased Cardiovascular Risk in Women. Costello BT, Silverman ER, Doukky R, Braun LT, Aggarwal NT, Deng Y, Li Y, Lundberg G, Williams KA Sr, Volgman AS.Clin Cardiol. 2016 Feb;39(2):96-102. doi: 10.1002/clc.22500. Epub 2016 Feb 16.PMID: 26880352 Free PMC article.
Sex Differences Remain Under-Reported in Cardiovascular Publications. Wang SC, Koutroumpakis E, Schulman-Marcus J, Tosh T, Volgman AS, Lyubarova R.J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2021 Mar 5. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2020.8561. Online ahead of print.PMID: 33667122
National Inpatient Sample Database Reveals Pulmonary Artery Catheter Use Decreases Outcomes but Underused in Women E Oliveros, T Suboc, K Marinescu, A Rao, N Aggarwal, A Volgman-Santos

The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation 39 (4), S153-S154

INFLUENCE OF SEX, ETHNICITY, AND HOSPITAL CHARACTERISTICS ON OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: A REPORT FROM THE NATIONAL INPATIENT SAMPLE S Ranka, N Aggarwal, C Bai, T Akhtar, S Alexander, A Volgman

Journal of the American College of Cardiology 73 (9S1), 465-465

Sex Differences in COVID-19 Hospitalization and Mortality in Chicagoland JMD Gomez, JM Du-Fay-de-Lavallaz, S Fugar, JA Simmons, A Sarau, …

Circulation 142 (Suppl_3), A17393-A17393