Gender differences in the clinical characteristics of Saudi heart failure patients with subsequent stroke

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Studies about stroke in Saudi Arabia are limited. This retrospective study aims to determine the clinical characteristics of Saudi patients with heart failure (HF) with and without subsequent stroke, and also to find out whether gender differences exist in the presentation of HF patients who had stroke. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: Retrospective study done at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2002-2008. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 293 patient (151 males, 142 females) charts from 2002-2008 were reviewed at KAMC. These charts were from Saudi patients who were diagnosed with HF, with and without subsequent stroke. Demographics, HF characteristics, stroke risk factors, and metabolic characteristics were noted and analyzed. RESULTS: No difference was observed in HF characteristics and stroke risk factors among HF patients with and without subsequent stroke. In terms of metabolic profile, those who had stroke had significantly higher low-density lipoprotein (LDL)--cholesterol levels as compared to those without (P=.03). Stratification to gender and adjusting for age and risk factors revealed that significantly higher LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol levels were observed in female stroke patients (P values .02, .028, respectively) and significantly higher blood urea nitrogen levels were observed in male stroke patients (P=.04) as compared to their counterparts who never had a stroke. CONCLUSION: The gender differences in the metabolic presentation of Saudi HF patients with stroke warrant further clinical investigation. Atherogenic dyslipidemia and renal insufficiency are suggested to be early predictors for stroke and should be closely monitored in Saudi HF patients.