Sex and Obesity: Effects on Heart Failure Study

Summary

Sex has a major impact on myocardial metabolism and blood flow. In those without heart failure men's hearts tend to use proportionally more glucose and women's hearts use more fat and have higher blood flow.

Obesity is a major risk factor for Heart Failure. In those without heart failure, increasing body mass index is predictive of increased blood flow and fatty acid metabolism in women, but not men.

To measure blood flow and metabolism we used radioactive materials and a PET (positron emission Tomography) scan to study the blood flow and substrate metabolism of the heart.

Hypotheses: 1) Women with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) will have higher levels of heart blood flow and fatty acid metabolism and lower glucose metabolism rates than men with HFrEF. A secondary Aim was to test the hypothesis that body mass index (BMI), a measure of obesity, correlated with myocardial blood flow and myocardial metabolism measures in patients with HFrEF.

Conditions

• Obesity
• Heart Failure

Interventions

PROCEDURE

PET (Positron Emission Tomography)

This is a diagnostic scan that requires the injection of radioactive tracer compounds intravenously using an IV placed in the arm.

PROCEDURE

Echocardiogram

An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart. Participants received a complete 2D- and Doppler echocardiographic examination on the day of the PET scan.

RADIATION

^15O-water

This is a radioactive tracer used to study blood flow in the heart during the PET scan. It was administered intravenously at a dose of 20 mCi.

RADIATION

1-^11C-palmitate

This is a radioactive tracer used to study fatty acid usage in the heart during the PET scan. It was administered intravenously at a dose of 20 mCi.

RADIATION

1-^11C-glucose

This is a radioactive tracer used to study glucose usage in the heart during the PET scan. It was administered intravenously at a dose of 20 Mci..

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Washington University School of Medicine

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Linda Peterson, MD · Washington University School of Medicine

Eligibility

Min Age

20 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2000-02-01

Primary Completion

2011-04-02

Completion

2011-04-02

Countries

• United States

Study Locations