China ; Heart Failure ; epidemiology ; Humans

More than 50% of patients who are diagnosed with heart failure have preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and they have an equally poor prognosis when compared to patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, a comprehensive understanding and awareness of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is still limited and there are currently no optimized treatments to improve morbidity and mortality in these patients. This review summarizes the differences in the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and prognosis between HFpEF and HFrEF. We also review current management strategies of HFpEF patients according to evidence-based treatment guidelines.
Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Heart Failure* ; Heart Failure, Diastolic ; Humans ; Mortality ; Prognosis

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cardiovascular epidemic that occurs primarily in the elderly with primary cardiovascular diseases, leading to severe consequences such as stroke and heart failure. The heart is an energy-consuming organ, which requires a high degree of metabolic flexibility to ensure a quick switch of metabolic substrates to meet its energy needs in response to physiological and pathological stimulation. Metabolism is closely related to the occurrence of AF, and AF patients manifest metabolic inflexibility, such as insulin resistance and the metabolic shift from aerobic metabolism to anaerobic glycolysis. Moreover, our research group and the others have shown that metabolic inflexibility is a crucial pathologic mechanism for AF. Energy metabolism is closely linked to the aging process and aging-related diseases, and impaired metabolic flexibility is considered as an essential driver of aging. Therefore, this review focuses on the alteration of metabolic flexibility in the elderly and reveals that impaired metabolic flexibility may be an important driver for the high prevalence of AF in the elderly, hoping to provide intervention strategies for the prevention and treatment of AF in the elderly.
Humans ; Aged ; Atrial Fibrillation/epidemiology* ; Anticoagulants ; Stroke ; Aging ; Heart Failure

BACKGROUNDPregnant women with heart disease are at high risk. Studies of risk factors of these patients are of great significance to improve maternal and fetal outcomes. In this paper, we try to discuss the main risk factors of cardiac events in pregnant women with heart disease and to establish a risk assessment system.

METHODSA retrospective analysis was carried out for pregnancies in 1741 women with heart disease who delivered in Shanghai Obstetrical Cardiology Intensive Care Center between January 1993 and September 2010. A Logistic regression model was used to identify independent risk factors of cardiac events and calculate the risk index in pregnant women with heart disease.

RESULTSThe composition of heart disease in pregnant women was arrhythmia (n = 662, 38.00%), congenital heart disease (CHD; n = 529, 30.40%), cardiomyopathy (n = 327, 18.80%), rheumatic heart disease (RHD; n = 151, 8.70%), and cardiopathy induced by pre-eclampsia (n = 53, 3.00%). Main cardiac events were heart failure (n = 110, 6.32%), symptomatic arrhythmia needing medication (n = 43, 2.47%), cardiac arrest (n = 2, 0.11%), syncope (n = 3, 0.17%), and maternal death (n = 10, 0.57%). Six independent risk factors to predict cardiac events in pregnant women with heart disease were cardiac events before pregnancy (heart failure, severe arrhythmia, cardiac shock, etc., P = 0.000), New York Heart Association (NYHA) class > II (P = 0.000), oxygen saturation < 90% (P = 0.018), pulmonary artery hypertention (PAH) > 50 mmHg (P = 0.025), cyanotic heart disease without surgical correction (P = 0.015), and reduced left ventricular systolic function (ejection fraction < 40%, P = 0.003). Every risk factor was calculated as 1 score. The incidence of cardiac events in patients with scores 0, 1, 2, 3, and ≥ 4 was 2.10%, 31.61%, 61.25%, 68.97%, and 100.00% respectively.

CONCLUSIONSPregnancy with heart disease could lead to undesirable pregnancy outcomes. The risk of cardiac events in pregnant women with heart disease could be assessed by risk index.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; epidemiology ; Cardiomyopathies ; epidemiology ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; epidemiology ; Heart Diseases ; epidemiology ; Heart Failure ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Pre-Eclampsia ; physiopathology ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Heart Failure, Diastolic ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Function, Left

Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology* ; Heart Failure/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left

Objective: To explore the relationship between the ideal cardiovascular health behaviors and factors and newonset heart failure. Methods: It was a prospective cohort study. People who attended the 2006-2007 physical examination of Kailuan Group Company and with complete data of cardiovascular behaviors and related factors were eligible for this study. A total of 95 167 participants who were free of valvular heart diseases, congenital heart diseases and a prior history of heart failure were included. Basic cardiovascular health score (CHS) of each participant was calculated. Participants were divided into 3 groups according to CHS. Group 1:CHS<8 (n=26 640), Group 2:8≤CHS<10 (n=35 230), Group3:CHS≥10 (n=33 297). The general clinical data and laboratory test results were collected. The outcome was defined as the first occurrence of heart failure at the end of followup(December 31, 2016). Cox regression model was used to determine the association between baseline CHS and the risk of newonset heart failure. Results: After a median followup of 10.3 years, the incidence of newonset heart failure in the group of CHS<8,8≤CHS<10,CHS≥10 were 2.7%(729/26 640), 1.8%(651/35 230) and 1.1%(360/33 297),respectively. After adjustment for age, sex, history of myocardial infarction, history of atrial fibrillation, income, alcohol consumption, education and the use of antihypertensive, cholesterol-lowering, glucose-lowering medications, compared with the group of CHS<8, the Cox regression model showed that HRs of the group of 8≤CHS<10 and CHS≥10 were 0.68 (95%CI 0.61-0.75), 0.49 (95%CI 0.43-0.55), respectively. Cox regression analysis after removing each single cardiovascular behavior or factor showed that the HR value range ability was as follows:systolic blood pressure(HR=0.78,95%CI 0.74-0.82), body mass index(HR=0.78,95%CI 0.74-0.82), fasting blood glucose (HR=0.77,95%CI 0.73-0.81), total cholesterol(HR=0.76,95%CI 0.72-0.80), physical exercise(HR=0.72,95%CI 0.69-0.76), smoking(HR=0.75,95%CI 0.71-0.79) and salt intake(HR=0.73,95%CI 0.69-0.77). Conclusion: CHS is negatively associated with the risk of newonset heart failure, and there is a dose-response relationship between the two indexes.
Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology* ; Health Behavior ; Heart Failure/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

The prevalence of heart failure (HF) is on the rise due to the aging of society. Furthermore, the continuous progress and widespread adoption of screening and diagnostic strategies have led to an increase in the detection rate of HF, effectively increasing the number of patients requiring monitoring and treatment. Because HF is associated with substantial rates of mortality and morbidity, as well as high socioeconomic burden, there is an increasing need for developing specific guidelines for HF management. The Korean guidelines for the diagnosis and management of chronic HF were introduced in March 2016. However, chronic and acute heart failure (AHF) represent distinct disease entities. Here, we introduce the Korean guidelines for the management of AHF with reduced or preserved ejection fraction. Part I of this guideline covers the definition, epidemiology, and diagnosis of AHF.
Aging ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Heart Failure ; Heart ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Mortality ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: Elderly patients (pts) (EPs; > or = 65 years old) with newly diagnosed-acute decompensated heart failure (ND-ADHF) have not yet been studied. The aim of the present study was to investigate clinical characteristics, including echocardiographic findings and prognosis, for EPs with ND-ADHF and to compare those with non-elderly pts (NEPs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively investigated 256 pts (144 males, 63.0 +/- 14.8 years old) who were admitted to our hospital between January 2005 and March 2009 with ND-ADHF. Clinical characteristics and echocardiographic parameters were analyzed in EPs (n = 135, 58 males) and NEPs (n = 121, 86 males). RESULTS: In intergroup comparison, female gender, diabetes mellitus, previous stroke and hypertension were more common in EPs. Body mass index (22.3 +/- 4.5 vs. 24.0 +/- 4.4 kg/m2), estimated glomerular filtration rate (54.8 +/- 24.3 vs. 69.2 +/- 30.7 mL/min/m2), C-reactive protein (28.5 +/- 46.9 vs. 7.6 +/- 11.6 mg/dL), hemoglobin (12.3 +/- 2.1 vs. 13.6 +/- 2.3 g/dL) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide level (10,538.2 +/- 10,942.3 vs. 6,771.0 +/- 8,964.7 pg/mL) were significantly different (p < 0.05 for all). Early mitral inflow velocity to early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E/E') was significantly higher in EPs than in NEPs (21.2 +/- 9.4 vs. 18.0 +/- 8.9, p < 0.05). During follow-up (44.7 +/- 14.5 months), there were no significant differences in in-hospital mortality, re-hospitalization and cardiovascular mortality between EPs and NEPs (p = NS for all). CONCLUSION: EPs with ND-ADHF have different clinical characteristics and higher LV filling pressure when compared with NEPs. However, the clinical outcomes for NEPs with ND-ADHF are not necessarily more favorable than those for EPs.
Aged ; Echocardiography/*methods ; Female ; Heart Failure/*diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUNDThe association between fish consumption and heart failure (HF) incidence is inconsistent.

METHODSWe performed a systematic search of Pubmed and Embase (from 1953 to June 2012) using key words related to fish and HF. Studies with at least three categories of fish consumption reporting both relative risk (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for HF incidence were included. The pooled RR and 95%CI were calculated using a fixed or random-effects model. The generalized least squares regression model was used to quantify the dose-response relationship between fish consumption and HF incidence.

RESULTSFive prospective cohort studies including 4750 HF events of 170 231 participants with an average of 9.7-year follow-up were selected and identified. Compared with those who never ate fish, individuals with higher fish consumption had a lower HF incidence. The pooled RRs for HF incidence was 0.99 (95%CI, 0.91 to 1.08) for fish consumption 1 to 3 times per month, 0.91 (95%CI, 0.84 to 0.99) for once a week, 0.87 (95%CI, 0.81 to 0.95) for 2 to 4 times per week, and 0.86 (95%CI, 0.84 to 0.99) for 5 or more times per week. An increment of 20 g of daily fish intake was related to a 6% lower risk of HF (RR: 0.94, 95%CI, 0.90 to 0.97; P for trend = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSThis meta-analysis suggests that there is a dose-dependent inverse relationship between fish consumption and HF incidence. Fish intake once or more times a week could reduce HF incidence.

Animals ; Female ; Fishes ; Heart Failure ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Seafood