Clinical Characteristics and Outcome of Hospitalized Patients With Congestive Heart Failure

Abstract

Background Heart failure (HF) represents a major public health issue in an aging population. Although HF is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries, the clinical features of HF in Japan remain unclear. Methods and Results This observational cohort study analyzed data from the Heart Institute of Japan - Department of Cardiology (HIJC)-HF Registry, which is based on a nationwide survey by the HIJC, Tokyo Women's Medical University and its affiliated hospitals. Of 3,578 consecutive patients (average age, 69.8 years; females 40.7%) hospitalized for HF between January 2001 and December 2002, 95.0% were followed up until the end of 2005 (median, 2.8 years). The 1- and 3-year mortality rates were 11.3% and 29.2%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that advanced age (hazard ratio 1.71 [95% confidence interval 1.38-2.12]; pCirc J 2008; 72: 2015 - 2020)