Gender differences in Infective endocarditis in an Irish referral centre in 14-year period

Abstract Background Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a disease with a high morbidity and mortality. There are only a few studies that analysed the influence of sex on IE and they have had contradictory results. The aim of the current study was to look at the differences in IE among male and female patients admitted to a university hospital in Dublin, Ireland, in 14-year period. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of all cases of IE admitted to the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital from 1 ^st January 2010 throughout to 31 ^st December 2023. Results A total of 348 adult patients were included. Male/ female ratio was 2.2. The following conditions were remarkably more frequent in women, than in men: chronic pulmonary disease (10.1% versus 4.6%; p = 0.036), autoimmune disease (11.9% versus 6.3%; p = 0.051), and malignancy (8.2% versus 4.2%; p = 0.088). Statistically significant differences were found in aortic valve IE between the two sexes (38.5% in women versus 54.8% in men; p = 0.004). Women underwent surgery less frequently (39.4% versus 52.7%; p = 0.020). All-cause mortality at 6 months was 12.8% in women, lower than 18.8% in men. Conclusions The study showed statistically significant differences between the sexes in the incidence of the disease, co-morbidities, frequency of aortic valve disease, and frequency of surgical interventions. There is a further need to study this subject, and fill in the gap in evidence in the field of IE.