Sex and age-based differences in the natural history and outcome of dilated cardiomyopathy

Aims: To evaluate the relationship between sex, age and outcome in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Methods & Results: We used proportional hazard modelling to examine the association between sex, age and all-cause mortality in consecutive patients with DCM. Overall, 881 patients (290 women, median age 52 years) were followed for a median of 4.9 years. Women were more likely to present with heart failure (64.0% vs 54.5%; p=0.007) and had more severe symptoms (p 60 years of age was driven by non-sudden death. Conclusion: Women with DCM have better survival compared to men, which may partly be due to less severe left ventricular dysfunction and a smaller scar burden. There is increased mortality driven by non-sudden death in patients >60 years of age that is less marked in women. Outcomes with contemporary treatment were favourable, with a low incidence of sudden death.