[Clinical characteristics of patients with ischemic heart failure].

UNLABELLED: A major cause of heart failure is coronary heart disease with an increasing prevalence and progression to heart failure. The objective of the study is the analysis of the clinical peculiarities, coronary risk factors and some resting hemodynamic parameters at patients with ischemic heart failure.

METHODS

There have been studied 189 patients with ischemic heart disease. The ejection fraction (EF) assessed by echocardiographic examination was used to divide them into three groups: group A of 106 with EF above 50%, group B of 55 with EF between 40-49% and group C of 28 with EF below 40%.

RESULTS

The mean age increased from group A (58 +/- 13 years) to group C (64 +/- 11 years, p = 0.05). Ischemic cardiomyopathy was higher at group C (32% vs 13% at group A and 24% at group B, p = 0.01) and old myocardial infarction was more frequent at group A (44% vs 45% at group B and 36% at group C, p = 0.009). Group C revealed a greater incidence of dyspnea (100%) and a greater resting heart rate (83 +/- 12/min, p = 0.03). The radiologic cardiomegaly was present at group C and at 42% at group A (p = 0.001). The echocardiographic findings show a greater prevalence of kinetic abnormalities and diastolic dysfunction at group C (p = 0.002 respectively 0.009).

CONCLUSION

Patients with myocardial dysfunction are older, with a lower prevalence of myocardial infarction in contrast with a higher prevalence of cardiomyopathy. Dyspnea is the dominant symptom and the resting heart rate is higher. Systolic dysfunction is present at all patients and diastolic dysfunction at the majority. There were not differences concerning the prevalence of the coronary risk factors.