regression analysis indicates that high NYHA classes and TFI social component scores are significant predictors of the number of hospitalizations in the studied group. Conclusions FS is highly prevalent among elderly HF patients. Higher frailty levels in elderly patients are a determinant of more frequent rehospitalizations in HF.
Heart failure (HF) is at present an important clinical problem. Hospitalization of HF patients causes that they have a much less favorable prognosis, and their successive rehospitalizations significantly affect the course of the disease and further treatment. The main reason for readmission to hospital is HF exacerbation, which from the pathophysiological point of view is associated with an elevated pressure in the pulmonary circulation. Factors affecting rehospitalization can be divided into: cardiac-related factors such as ischemia, atrial fibrillation, and uncontrolled hypertension, non-cardiac factors including coexisting diseases (especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, infections), patient--related factors (nonadherence/noncompliance, self-care, frailty-syndrome, depression, cachexia) and healthcare system-related factors (nonadherence of physicians, therapeutic nihilism, insufficiency of interdisciplinary care system in the field of patients' therapy and education). Rehospitalization of HF patients is a complex, multifactorial and not fully understood problem. An integrated interdisciplinary care system, which covers patients' therapy, education, self--assessment and self-control may reduce the mortality rate and number of rehospitalizations for all reasons and for HF.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.