Prevalence of early stages of heart failure in an elderly risk population: the Copenhagen Heart Failure Risk Study

Aims To describe the prevalence of heart failure (HF) stages in elderly outpatients with risk factors for HF but without known HF, and characterise the clinical, biochemical and echocardiographic findings in each stage.Background Early stages of HF are underdiagnosed; nevertheless, they are associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation and increased mortality. The prevalence of HF stages in elderly high-risk patients is unknown.Methods A total of 400 patients were consecutively included: ≥60 years old, ≥1 risk factor for HF (diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation, hypertension), and without known or suspected HF. HF stages were defined as the following: stage A (risk factor for HF, normal echocardiography), stage B (abnormal echocardiography, without symptoms of HF) and stage C (abnormal echocardiography, symptoms of HF, clinical signs/increased plasma aminoterminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide [NT-proBNP] concentrations).Results After thorough examination 44.25% of patients were categorised as HF stage A, 37.5% were HF stage B and 18.25% HF stage C. Those with higher stages of HF were older (p