RESUMO
PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical symptoms and echocardiographic findings in elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis and possible gender differences. METHODS: We studied 54 patients, 24 (44.5) males and 30 (55.5) females aged 80.7 +/- 5.2 years with severe aortic stenosis. The following variables were analyzed: presence of clinical manifestations (dyspnea, angina, and syncope) and echocardiographic indices (left ventricular [LV] dimensions, ejection fraction [EF], and mass index). RESULTS: Dyspnea was the most frequent symptom with overall prevalence of 44. EF was lower than 50in only 2 patients. There were no gender differences in the prevalence of any of the clinical manifestations. Male patients had higher LV volumes (p < 0.05) and lower EF (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The data showing dyspnea as the most common clinical manifestation; EF > 50; lower LV volumes and greater EF in female patients suggest that the adaptive mechanisms to this condition may be different between the two sexes.