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The risk of cardiovascular death in elderly patients with possible heart failure: results from a 6-year follow-up of a Swedish primary care population
Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för medicin och vård, Kardiologi. Östergötlands Läns Landsting, Hjärtcentrum. Linköpings universitet, Hälsouniversitetet.
Sahlgren Academy at Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för hälsa och samhälle, Centrum för utvärdering av medicinsk teknologi. Linköpings universitet, Hälsouniversitetet.
Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för medicin och vård, Kardiologi. Linköpings universitet, Hälsouniversitetet.ORCID-id: 0000-0001-6353-8041
2005 (engelsk)Inngår i: International Journal of Cardiology, ISSN 0167-5273, E-ISSN 1874-1754, Vol. 100, nr 1, s. 17-27Artikkel i tidsskrift (Fagfellevurdert) Published
Abstract [en]

Little is known about the prognosis and clinical variables influencing the prognosis among elderly patients in primary health care with mild to moderate heart failure.

Aim: To evaluate the risk of cardiovascular mortality in elderly patients with symptoms of heart failure with respect to systolic and diastolic function, and functional impairment. To evaluate prognostic determinants and to risk-stratify the patients.

Methods: A cardiologist examined 510 patients, out of 548 invited, attending primary care for symptoms of dyspnoea, fatigue and/or peripheral oedema and assessed New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class. Examination by Doppler echocardiography was done in 454 patients, 56 patients being excluded because of, e.g., atrial fibrillation. Abnormal systolic function was defined as ejection fraction <40%. The diastolic function was evaluated using the mitral inflow and pulmonary venous flow variables. Different clinical and echocardiographic variables were analysed using a Cox regression analysis to identify those most influencing the risk of cardiovascular mortality.

Conclusion: Abnormal systolic and/or diastolic function was found in 219 patients (48% of the 454 patients who could be echocardiographically completely investigated). The follow-up period was 6 years. Total mortality was 20%, and cardiovascular mortality was 14% (70% of total mortality). Cardiovascular mortality was high in patients with severely impaired functional capacity and ejection fraction <40% at the start of the study. Risk variables identified were male gender, diabetes mellitus, impaired functional capacity and abnormal cardiac function by echocardiography. A prognostic score model using simple clinical variables (gender, NYHA class, cardiac function) was developed to assess the risk of cardiovascular death in order to identify patients with high, moderate or low risk. In a ROC curve analysis, the AUC for clinical variables was only 0.75, whereas the AUC for clinical variables and echocardiography was 0.78, indicating that the additional prognostic information obtained by Doppler echocardiography was rather small.

sted, utgiver, år, opplag, sider
2005. Vol. 100, nr 1, s. 17-27
HSV kategori
Identifikatorer
URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-33737DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2004.03.031Lokal ID: 19779OAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-33737DiVA, id: diva2:254560
Tilgjengelig fra: 2009-10-09 Laget: 2009-10-09 Sist oppdatert: 2017-12-13bibliografisk kontrollert
Inngår i avhandling
1. Heart failure in primary health care: special emphasis on natriuretic peptides in the elderly
Åpne denne publikasjonen i ny fane eller vindu >>Heart failure in primary health care: special emphasis on natriuretic peptides in the elderly
2003 (engelsk)Doktoravhandling, med artikler (Annet vitenskapelig)
Abstract [en]

Background: This thesis focuses on heart failure among elderly patients in the community who usually are not included in studies on heart failure. The heart failure syndrome is an increasing problem in Western society. Severe heart failure is often easy to diagnose compared with light to moderate heart failure, which is more frequent in patients in the community,

Doppler echocardiography is the most commonly used method to objectively verify an abnormal cardiac function, mostly the systolic function. One goal of this thesis was to evaluate both the systolic and diastolic functions. Another goal was a study of the possible utility of the B-type natriuretic peptide, BNP (brain natriuretic peptide), and the amino terminal fragment of its precursor, proBNP (N-terminal proBNP) as tools in the diagnosis of heart failure in elderly patients.

Methods: In a primary health care setting, 510 elderly patients (age range 65-82 years) with symptoms and signs possibly associated with heart failure were examined concerning patient history, ongoing pharmacological treatment, clinical examination, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, Doppler echo cardiography, and selected biochemical measurements of blood samples. Additionally, the natriuretic peptide BNP and the aminoterminal fragment of proBNP were analyzed for a possible influence of gender, age, impaired cardiac function assessed using Doppler echocardiography, other diseases, and phannacological treatment. We followed our study population for six years, carefully registering mortality with death certificates. This information was used in analyzing the risk of cardiovascular death based on Cox proportional hazard regression. We present a model for estimating the risk of cardiovascular death in the individual patient.

Results: Almost half of our study population [mean age 73 (SD 6) years] with symptoms of possible heart failure had signs of impaired cardiac function on Doppler echocardiography. Half of these individuals had isolated impairment of the diastolic function. Almost two thirds of the elderly patients who had an ejection fraction of less than 40% did not receive treatment with ACE inhibitors, one of the cornerstones in the treatment of heart failure.

BNP and N-terminal proBNP were equally effective in detecting impaired cardiac function. As a response to increased filling pressure they probably provide earlier information on the haemodynamic situation than Doppler echocardiography does.

In these elderly patients, functional class (NYHA class III: 7 times increased risk), in vivo examination by Doppler echo cardiography (EF<30%: 8 times increased risk) and the in vitro measurement of plasma BNP (>27.8 pmol/L: 11 times increased risk) and N-terminal proBNP (>109 pmol/L: 7 times increased risk) could be used as prognostic determinants in assessing the risk of cardiovascular death.

Conclusion: The results indicate that a focused patient history and clinical examination provides important information that is often sufficient for the prognostic evaluation of a patient with heart failure symptoms. Additional information may be obtained with Doppler echo cardiographic examination and measurement of plasma BNP or N-terminal proBNP. The relationship between BNPIN-terminal proBNP concentration and risk of cardiovascular death may be analysed to define decision limits for the concentrations of these peptides as regards further diagnostic procedures and/or phannaceutical treatment.

sted, utgiver, år, opplag, sider
Linköping: Linköping University Electronic Press, 2003. s. 111
Serie
Linköping University Medical Dissertations, ISSN 0345-0082 ; 819
HSV kategori
Identifikatorer
urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-27454 (URN)12107 (Lokal ID)91-7373-508-6 (ISBN)12107 (Arkivnummer)12107 (OAI)
Disputas
2003-11-06, Hälsans Hus, Hälsouniversitetet, Campus US, Linköpings Universitet, Linköping, 13:00 (engelsk)
Opponent
Tilgjengelig fra: 2009-10-08 Laget: 2009-10-08 Sist oppdatert: 2012-10-17bibliografisk kontrollert

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