Gender Differences in Disease Burden, Symptom Burden, and Quality of Life Among People Living With Heart Failure and Multimorbidity: Cross-Sectional Study.

Participants were recruited from one academic institution through an electronic patient portal, so results may not apply to people without portal access, English speakers, or those not familiar with electronic devices. Of 489 enrolled, 135 did not complete the baseline survey, and the people who completed it were more likely to be older, White, educated and married, which can bias the sample. Most participants were White, highly educated and insured, so the findings may not represent lower education, uninsured, or more diverse populations. Data were self-reported, and 18% of eligible participants did not report heart failure on the disease burden questionnaire, so condition counts and burden may be overestimated or underestimated. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that gender caused differences, how burden changed over time, or whether any intervention improves outcomes. Non-binary participants were excluded because only one self-identified as non-binary, so gender differences outside women and men were not captured.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not report a funding source.

Do not conclude that being female causes higher burden or that any treatment improves it. This was a cross-sectional self-report comparison, so it shows association at baseline, not cause or effect.