Sex differences in skeletal muscle pathology in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection

Females with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) have greater physical limitations and a lower quality of life compared to males, however, the role of non-cardiac mechanisms remains poorly resolved. We hypothesized that differences in skeletal muscle pathology between males and females with HFrEF may explain clinical heterogeneity. In this study, we performed an unbiased RNA sequencing of 5 male controls, 5 female controls, 6 male HFrEF patients, and 5 female HFrEF patients.