Clinical profile and prognosis of hospitalized patients with congestive heart failure in Isehara, Japan

Since the clinical profile and prognosis of heart failure depending on time of the study performed, regional characteristics of background population and different race, we attempted to evaluate the prognosis of symptoms and life expectancy of Japanese patients with heart failure. We evaluated the clinical profiles and prognoses of 1,015 consecutive patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) for whom hospitalization was required. A total of 1,015 consecutive CHF patients (584 males and 431 females) were enrolled in this study, however the total number of events investigated was 1,409. Of these patients, survival was confirmed in 413 patients, death was confirmed in 299 patients, and the prognoses of 303 patients remained unknown due to transfer to other hospitals or for some other reasons. The mean age on admission was 68.4 +/- 14.9 years. In both males and females, the peak age at the onset of CHF was in the seventies, and for patients in their eighties, the number of female patients with CHF was larger than that of male patients. Major underlying heart diseases consisted of ischemic heart disease (34%), valvular heart disease (22%), dilated cardiomyopathy (11%), and hypertension (10%). Most CHF patients who had dilated cardiomyopathy as an underlying disease were hospitalized several times, and 45% of them were hospitalized 3 times or more. The life expectancy of patients with CHF caused by ischemic heart disease was the poorest, and their 5-year and 10-year survival rates were 55% and 38%, respectively. Similarly, 5-year and 10-year survival rates of patients with CHF caused by valvular heart disease, hypertension, and dilated cardiomyopathy were 62% and 44%, 58% and 53%, and 70% and 65%, respectively. In 299 deceased patients, the mean age at death was 72.2 +/- 13.9 years. In all these deceased patients, direct causes of death were sudden death (16.1%), CHF (42.2%), others (31.4%), and unknown (10.4%). The frequency of sudden death was highest (25%) in patients with CHF caused by dilated cardiomyopathy, followed by those with CHF caused by valvular heart disease (18%) and those with CHF caused by ischemic heart disease (17.5%). In addition, the frequency of death from CHF was highest (60%) in those with CHF caused by dilated cardiomyopathy, followed by those with CHF caused by ischemic heart disease (49.2%).