Age- and sex-dependent changes in sympathetic activity of the left ventricular apex assessed by 18F-DOPA PET imaging
Open Access
- 14 August 2018
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS) in PLOS ONE
- Vol. 13 (8), e0202302
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202302
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism in cardiac sympathetic outflow has recently gained attention in the context of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Previous studies suggest that there are sex- and age-dependent differences in peripheral autonomic control, however, data on cardiac-specific sympathetic activation in aged women and men are lacking. Regional quantitative analysis of cardiac fluorine-18 (18F)- Dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) uptake was retrospectively performed in 133 patients (69 females, mean age 52.4±17.7 years) referred for assessment of neuroendocrine tumours (NET) by Positron-Emission-Tomography. Cardiac 18F-DOPA uptake was significantly higher in women as compared to men (1.33±0.21 vs. 1.18±0.24, p18F-DOPA uptake with age with the strongest increase seen in the LV apical region (r = 0.34, p = 0.004). Accordingly, sex and age were selected as significant predictors of LV apical 18F-DOPA uptake in a stepwise linear regression model. No age-dependent changes of cardiac 18F-DOPA uptake were observed in men or in the right ventricular region. Our study suggests that aging is related to sex-specific changes in regional cardiac sympathetic activity. Future studies will have to assess whether the increase in LV apical 18F-DOPA uptake with age in women is of pathogenic relevance for the higher susceptibility of postmenopausal women to conditions associated with increased sympathetic activity.Keywords
Funding Information
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
- Olga Mayenfisch Foundation
- OPO Foundation, Switzerland
- Schweizerische Herzstiftung
- Novartis Stiftung für Medizinisch-Biologische Forschung
- Helmut Horten Stiftung
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