COVID-19 among heart failure patients: A retrospective study of 294 patients at a referral cardiac center in northern Iran

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease, especially heart failure (HF), is the most important comorbidity that increases the risk of death in COVID-19 patients. This study aimed to assess and compare demographic characteristics, clinical features, and clinical outcomes in HF patients with and without COVID-19. Using a retrospective research, 294 patients with HF referred to a cardiac center in Guilan province, northern Iran were enrolled. Data were collected using census sampling from August 2020 to 2021. In this study, the medical records of all patients with HF were assessed. In this research, 294 HF patients were enrolled. Also, 26.53% of HF patients had COVID-19. Mean EF, blood pressure, and HF duration in HF patients with COVID-19 were 25.83 (SD=12.31), 126.65 (SD=24.67) mmHg, and 3.79 (SD=2.10) years, respectively. The most common symptoms in HF patients with COVID-19 were cough (52.56%), headache (44.87%), and gastrointestinal problems (43.59%), respectively. Finally, 55.13% of HF patients with COVID-19 died. The mean age of HF patients with COVID-19 was higher than in HF patients without COVID-19 (66.02 vs. 62.79 years; P=0.031). Hyperlipidemia was higher in HF patients with COVID-19 than in HF patients without COVID-19 (25.64% vs. 13.89%; P=0.018). Also, in-hospital mortality was higher in HF patients with COVID-19 than in HF patients without COVID-19 (55.13% vs. 16.20%; P<0.001). Overall, HF patients with COVID-19 are at particular risk for severe complications and high mortality. Therefore, it is recommended to pay special attention to HF patients with COVID-19.