Sympathetic dysfunction is associated with worse fatigue and early and subtle symptoms in heart failure: an exploratory sex-stratified analysis.

Aims: Physical symptoms impact patients with heart failure (HF) despite treatment advancements; however, our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying HF symptoms remains limited, including sex differences therein. The objective of this study was to quantify associations between sympathetic markers [norepinephrine (NE) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG)] and physical symptoms in patients with HF and to explore sex differences in these associations.

Methods And Results: We performed a secondary analysis of combined data from two studies: outpatients with HF (n = 111), and patients prior to left ventricular assist device implantation (n = 38).