Gender Differences in Various Types of Idiopathic Ventricular Tachycardia

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate gender differences in the incidence and age distribution of various types of idiopathic ventricular tachycardia (VT). METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a search of the medical literature on idiopathic VT. According to their site of origin, we divided the VTs into three types: right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT-VT), left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT-VT), and left ventricular (LV) septum (LV-VT). We reviewed 68 articles and a total of 748 patients. Among RVOT-VT patients, there were more females than males (311 vs 153, male/female ratio 0.49). In LV-VT, males prevailed over females (175 vs 52, male/female ratio 3.37), whereas LVOT-VT was distributed almost equally between males (n = 33) and females (n = 24). To determine the age distribution, we assessed 419 patients from 51 studies. In both males and females, the highest incidence of RVOT-VT occurred in the third to fifth decade of life (males, mean 43.5 +/- 18.7; females, mean 40.9 +/- 13.8 years). LV-VT occurred at a younger age in both males and females than did RVOT-VT (mean 33.0 +/- 13.9 and 25.7 +/- 12.0 years, respectively, P < 0.0001 vs RVOT-VT). LV-VT occurred at a younger age in females than males (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: Gender-specific differences exist in the incidence and age distribution of the various types of idiopathic VT. Studies on gender-specific differences in arrhythmia will lead to a better understanding of its mechanism(s) and provide valuable information for the development of optimal treatment strategies.