Cited by 125Viral Infections and Immunology ResearchCardiac Fibrosis and RemodelingCardiomyopathy and Myosin Studies

Sex and gender differences in myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy: An update

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Fairweather, DeLisa, Beetler, Danielle J., Musigk, Nicolas, Heidecker, Bettina, Lyle, Melissa A., Cooper, Leslie T., Bruno, Katelyn A.·2023·Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

Abstract

In the past decade there has been a growing interest in understanding sex and gender differences in myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and the purpose of this review is to provide an update on this topic including epidemiology, pathogenesis and clinical presentation, diagnosis and management. Recently, many clinical studies have been conducted examining sex differences in myocarditis. Studies consistently report that myocarditis occurs more often in men than women with a sex ratio ranging from 1:2–4 female to male. Studies reveal that DCM also has a sex ratio of around 1:3 women to men and this is also true for familial/genetic forms of DCM. Animal models have demonstrated that DCM develops after myocarditis in susceptible mouse strains and evidence exists for this progress clinically as well. A consistent finding is that myocarditis occurs primarily in men under 50 years of age, but in women after age 50 or post-menopause. In contrast, DCM typically occurs after age 50, although the age that post-myocarditis DCM occurs has not been investigated. In a small study, more men with myocarditis presented with symptoms of chest pain while women presented with dyspnea. Men with myocarditis have been found to have higher levels of heart failure biomarkers soluble ST2, creatine kinase, myoglobin and T helper 17-associated cytokines while women develop a better regulatory immune response. Studies of the pathogenesis of disease have found that Toll-like receptor (TLR)2 and TLR4 signaling pathways play a central role in increasing inflammation during myocarditis and in promoting remodeling and fibrosis that leads to DCM, and all of these pathways are elevated in males. Management of myocarditis follows heart failure guidelines and there are currently no disease-specific therapies. Research on standard heart failure medications reveal important sex differences. Overall, many advances in our understanding of the effect of biologic sex on myocarditis and DCM have occurred over the past decade, but many gaps in our understanding remain. A better understanding of sex and gender effects are needed to develop disease-targeted and individualized medicine approaches in the future.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1129348

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  • Few females progress to DCM in humans or autoimmune/viral myocarditis animal models.

    “Few females progress to DCM in humans or autoimmune/viral myocarditis animal models. 64,124”

    From COVID-19, Myocarditis and Pericarditis (2023) · cites this paper as [64]

    Section 6 reports that in an autoimmune/viral CVB3 myocarditis model, all (100%) female BALB/c mice progressed to DCM—contrary to the claim that few females do so in such models. Section 3 reports that DCM is less common in women than men, but does not establish how many women with myocarditis progress to DCM. No page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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  • Myocarditis occurs predominantly in male patients aged 12 to 40 years regardless of whether the cause was virus-like SARS-CoV-2 or associated with a vaccine.

    “Importantly, the findings highlight that myocarditis occurs predominantly in male patients aged 12 to 40 years regardless of whether the cause was due to a virus-like SARS-CoV-2 or associated with a vaccine-a demographic that has been reported before COVID-19.”

    From COVID-19, Myocarditis and Pericarditis (2023) · cites this paper as [64]

    Section 3 (page not supplied) reports that myocarditis occurs more often in men under 50 and was most prevalent at ages 16–20 in several large studies, supporting the broad demographic pattern before COVID-19. It does not establish the claimed 12–40 age range or show that this pattern holds specifically for both SARS-CoV-2-related and vaccine-associated myocarditis. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Upregulation of complement and TLRs including TLR4 are key immune pathways that promote myocarditis in the autoimmune-CVB3 animal model.

    “We have published previously that upregulation of complement and TLRs including TLR4 are key immune pathways that promote myocarditis in the autoimmune-CVB3 animal model”

    From COVID-19, Myocarditis and Pericarditis (2023) · cites this paper as [64]

    Section 6 reports that male BALB/c mice in the autoimmune-CVB3 model have a dominant immune response marked by upregulation of complement and TLR4, and links TLR4 signaling to inflammatory responses and remodeling. It does not establish that upregulation of complement or TLRs generally promotes myocarditis across the model; the reported finding is specifically in males and identifies TLR4. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Myocarditis typically occurs more often in young men aged 16 to 30 years, and the sex ratio for COVID-19 studies is typically observed to be 60% men to 40% women.

    “Myocarditis typically occurs more often in young men aged 16 to 30 years, and the sex ratio for COVID-19 studies is typically observed to be 60% men to 40% women.”

    From COVID-19, Myocarditis and Pericarditis (2023) · cites this paper as [64]

    Section 3, “Sex differences in epidemiology” (page not provided), says myocarditis is more common in men and that several large studies found it most prevalent in males aged 16–20, not the stated 16–30 range. The passages found do not support a typical 60% men/40% women ratio for COVID-19 studies; the review instead gives a female-to-male ratio of 1:2–4 for myocarditis studies generally. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Men develop more scar tissue and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) than women.

    “with men developing more scar tissue and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) than women. 64,124,131”

    From COVID-19, Myocarditis and Pericarditis (2023) · cites this paper as [64]

    Section 3 (Sex differences in epidemiology; page unavailable) reports that DCM occurs more often in men than women. Section 6 (Sex differences in the pathogenesis of myocarditis and DCM; page unavailable) describes stronger profibrotic responses in male mice, but does not establish that men develop more cardiac scar tissue than women. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Fairweather, D., Beetler, D. J., Musigk, N., Heidecker, B., Lyle, M. A., Cooper, L. T., & Bruno, K. A.
Affiliations
  • Mayo Clinic (US)
  • Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
Corresponding author
Fairweather, DeLisa
Venue
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
Published
2023-03-02
Volume
10
Pages
1129348-1129348
ISSN
2297-055X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4322773336
Cited by
124
References
333
Citations by year
2026: 29 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 19
FWCI
6.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (R01 HL164520, R21 AI145356, R21 AI152318, R21 AI154927, TL1 TR002380, R21 AI163302, R01 HL135165)
  • American Heart Association (20TPA35490415)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Viral Infections and Immunology Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac Fibrosis and Remodeling
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiomyopathy and Myosin Studies
Keywords
sex differences, gender differences, myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy, sex ratio, postmenopausal women, heart failure biomarkers, soluble ST2, Toll-like receptor signaling, cardiac remodeling, heart failure treatment, personalized medicine

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