Heart failure patients in primary care are elderly, with significant co-morbidities and treated with a high number of drugs. Gender differences exist in cardiovascular risk factors, co-morbidities, and also in therapy.

A steady increase in the use of antidepressants is being observed, predominantly new drugs. Regarding the length of treatment, a high proportion of patients are treated for under 4 months, which does not follow recent recommendations in the scientific literature for treatment of depression. This is a major element of inefficiency in the health system.

No abstract