Burden of Heart Failure Patients in a Tertiary Level Cardiac Hospital

Abstract

Objective: Heart failure (HF) has become an increasingly frequent cause of hospital admission and carries a poor prognosis. There is a paucity of data in Indo-Asians particularly in Bangladesh on characteristics of heart failure patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the etiological factors and co-morbidity of hospitalized heart failure patients. Method: A hospital based cross sectional study was done at a tertiary cardiac hospital in Dhaka city. Hospital medical records of 14009 patients admitted between January 2005 and August 2006 were reviewed and 1970 patients with the diagnosis of HF were identified. Relevant etiological information and socio demographic data were abstracted from the hospital record files. Result: About one-seventh of total hospital admitted patient had HF. Mean age (SD) was 54.1 (15.3) years. Majority (35.79%) had ischaemic heart disease (IHD) as the principal etiological factor but this frequently coexisted with a history of hypertension (46.8%). Hypertension was considered the primary risk factor of HF in 29.14% of cases. Hypertension alone and in coexistence with other etiology was found in 48.07% (947) cases. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) co-existed with IHD in 41.4% (292) and it (32.64%) was found more prevalent in Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) patient with HF. Conclusions: The mean age of hospitalized HF patients is remarkably lower than other related studies done abroad. The single most common etiology for HF is ischemic heart disease in this population. Hypertension is the most common risk factor. Measures to prevent ischaemic heart disease and control of risk factors are essential to prevent premature onset of HF. DOI: 10.3329/jbcps.v28i1.4640 J Bangladesh Coll Phys Surg 2010; 28: 24-29

Clinical Presentation of Heart Failure Patients Admitted in National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Dhaka

“…In DIG study (1997), 13 RALES study, 14 MERIT-HF study, 15 ATLAS Study 16 mean age was 64 years. M Kabiruzzaman et al 22 showed mean age was 54 years.…”

Cardiovascular Disease in Bangladesh: A Review

“…In a hospital-based retrospective study at a tertiary cardiac hospital in Dhaka City 44 , about oneseventh (1970 out of 14009) of the patients admitted between January 2005 and August 2006 had heart failure. Majority (35.79%) had CAD as the principal etiological factor, whereas hypertension was the primary risk factor for HF in 29.14% of cases.…”

Prevalence and Pattern of Cardiac Emergencies in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Bangladesh

“…We also found that almost two thirds of the patients were male and one third were female, which is in coherence with most of the studies. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] This may also attributed to the fact that less female patients come to hospital for treatment for various socio-economic factors. 14 In our study, the prevalence of cardiac emergency patient in DMCH was about 4.5% of the total emergency admission.…”

“…The mean age of our study population was 55.5 years, which is relatively lower than that observed in different studies done abroad. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] According to the 2012 chartbook on cardiovascular, lung and blood diseases, heart disease was the leading cause of death for those aged 65 years and older 13 . The possible reasons for premature onset of Coronary Heart Disease in our country may be lack of awareness of morbid risk factors and appropriate treatment.…”

“…6 There is an ever increasing number of emergency hospital admissions due to cardiac causes in different hospitals of Bangladesh. 7 However, there is lack of data on prevalence and presentation of cardiac emergency cases in Bangladesh. It is important to identify the pattern of cardiac emergencies and co-morbid factors to determine strategy for effective emergency care for the population.…”