Our female subjects were slightly older than the male subjects (72.8 ± 7 vs. 67.4 ± 3.3 years of age, p = 0.002) ( Table II). One half of our male subjects had normal diastolic function, whereas mild ...

Diastolic heart failure is common in the elderly, particularly women. Previous studies on the value of brain natriuretic peptide in diastolic dysfunction have been largely limited to male subjects.