Temporal trends in outcome and patient characteristics in dilated cardiomyopathy, data from the Swedish Heart Failure Registry 2003-2015.

BACKGROUND: Temporal trends in clinical composition and outcome in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) are largely unknown, despite considerable advances in heart failure management. We set out to study clinical characteristics and prognosis over time in DCM in Sweden during 2003-2015. METHODS: DCM patients (n = 7873) from the Swedish Heart Failure Registry were divided into three calendar periods of inclusion, 2003-2007 (Period 1, n = 2029), 2008-2011 (Period 2, n = 3363), 2012-2015 (Period 3, n = 2481). The primary outcome was the composite of all-cause death, transplantation and hospitalization during 1 year after inclusion into the registry. RESULTS: Over the three calendar periods patients were older (p = 0.022), the proportion of females increased (mean 22.5%, 26.4%, 27.6%, p = 0.0001), left ventricular ejection fraction was higher (p = 0.0014), and symptoms by New York Heart Association less severe (p < 0.0001). Device (implantable cardioverter defibrillator and/or cardiac resynchronization) therapy increased by 30% over time (mean 11.6%, 12.3%, 15.1%, p < 0.0001). The event rates for mortality, and hospitalization were consistently decreasing over calendar periods (p < 0.0001 for all), whereas transplantation rate was stable. More advanced physical symptoms correlated with an increased risk of a composite outcome over time (p = 0.0043). CONCLUSIONS: From 2003 until 2015, we observed declining mortality and hospitalizations in DCM, paralleled by a continuous change in both demographic profile and therapy in the DCM population in Sweden, towards a less affected phenotype.

Treatment response in recent-onset heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: non-ischaemic vs. ischaemic aetiology.

AIMS: In heart failure (HF) with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF), the prognosis appears better in non-ischaemic than in ischaemic aetiology. Infrequent diagnostic work-up for ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in HF is reported. In this study, we compared short-term response to initiated guideline-directed medical treatment (GDMT) in recent-onset HFrEF of non-ischaemic (non-IHF) vs. ischaemic (IHF) aetiology and evaluated the frequency of coronary investigation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients hospitalized with recent-onset HFrEF [left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 40%] between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2019 were included. Treatment response was determined by use of a hierarchical clinical composite outcome classifying each patient as worsened, improved, or unchanged based on hard outcomes (mortality, heart transplantation, and HF hospitalization) and soft outcomes (± ≥10 unit change in LVEF, ± ≥30% change in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, and ± ≥1 point change in New York Heart Association functional class) during 28 weeks of follow-up. The associations between baseline characteristics and composite changes were analysed with multiple logistic regression. Among the 364 patients analysed, 47 were not investigated for IHD. Comparing non-IHF (n = 203) vs. IHF (n = 114), patients were younger (mean age 61.0 vs. 69.4 years, P < 0.001) with lower mean LVEF (26% vs. 31%, P < 0.001), but with similar male predominance (70.4% vs. 75.4%, P = 0.363). For non-IHF vs. IHF, the composite outcomes were worsened (19.1% vs. 43.9%, P < 0.001) and improved (74.2% vs. 43.9%, P < 0.001). After multivariable adjustments, IHF was associated with increased odds for worsening [odds ratio (OR) 2.94; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.51-5.74; P = 0.002] and decreased odds for improvement (OR 0.35; 95% CI 0.18-0.65; P < 0.001). In cases without previous IHD or new-onset myocardial infarction (n = 261), a decision for coronary investigation was made in 69.0%. CONCLUSIONS: In recent-onset HFrEF, patients with non-IHF responded better to GDMT than patients with IHF. Almost one-third of patients selected for follow-up at HF clinics were never investigated for IHD.

Antihypertensive effect of low-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in comparison with drug treatment.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for vascular disease, yet blood pressure (BP) control is unsatisfactory low, partly due to side-effects. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is well tolerated and studies have demonstrated BP reduction. In this study, we compared the BP lowering effect of 2.5 mg felodipin once daily with 30 min of bidaily low-frequency TENS in 32 adult hypertensive subjects (mean office BP 152.7/90.0 mmHg) in a randomized, crossover design. Office BP and 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) were performed at baseline and at the end of each 4-week treatment and washout period. Felodipin reduced office BP by 10/6 mmHg (p <0.001 respectively) and after washout BP rose to a level still significantly lower than at baseline. TENS reduced office BP by 5/1.5 mmHg (p <0.01, ns). After TENS washout, BP was further reduced and significantly lower than at baseline, but at levels similar to BP after felodipin washout and therefore reasonably caused by factors other than the treatment per se. ABPM revealed a significant systolic reduction of 3 mmHg by felodipin, but no significant changes were noted after TENS. We conclude that our study does not present any solid evidence of BP reduction of TENS.

Prognostic differences in long-standing vs. recent-onset dilated cardiomyopathy.

AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the outcome and prognostic factors in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and long-standing heart failure (LDCM) vs. recent-onset heart failure (RODCM). METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared 2019 patients with RODCM (duration <6 months, mean age 58.6 years, 70.7% male) with 1714 patients with LDCM (duration ≥6 months, median duration 3.5 years, mean age 62.5 years, 73.7% male) included in the Swedish Heart Failure Registry in the years 2003-16. Outcome measures were all-cause, cardiovascular (CV), and non-CV death and hospitalizations; heart transplantation; and a combined outcome of all-cause death, heart transplantation, or heart failure (HF) hospitalization. Multivariable risk factor analyses were performed for the combined endpoint. All outcomes were more frequent in LDCM than in RODCM. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval) for LDCM vs. RODCM were 1.56 (1.34-1.82), P < 0.0001, for all-cause death over a median follow-up of 4.2 and 5.0 years, respectively; 1.67 (1.36-2.05), P < 0.0001, for CV death; 2.12 (1.14-3.91), P < 0.0001, for heart transplantation; 1.36 (1.21-1.53), P < 0.0001, for HF hospitalization; and 1.37 (1.24-1.52), P < 0.0001, for the combined outcome. A propensity score-matched analysis yielded similar results. CV death was the main cause of mortality in LDCM and was higher in LDCM than in RODCM (P < 0.0001). Almost all co-morbidities were significantly more frequent in LDCM than in RODCM, and the mean number of co-morbidities increased significantly with increased duration of disease, also after age adjustment. Age, New York Heart Association functional class, ejection fraction, and left bundle branch block were prognostically adverse. The only co-morbidity associated with the combined outcome regardless of HF duration was diabetes, in LDCM [HR 1.34 (1.15-1.56), P = 0.0002] and in RODCM [HR 1.29 (1.04-1.59), P = 0.018]. Male sex [HR 1.38 (1.18-1.63), P < 0.0001] and aspirin use [HR 1.33 (1.14-1.55), P = 0.0004] carried increased risk only in RODCM. Heart rate ≥75 b.p.m. [HR 1.20 (1.04-1.37), P = 0.01], atrial fibrillation [HR 1.24 (1.08-1.42), P = 0.0024], musculoskeletal or connective tissue disorder [HR 1.36 (1.13-1.63), P = 0.0014], and diuretic therapy [HR 1.40 (1.17-1.67), P = 0.0002] were prognostically adverse only in LDCM. CONCLUSIONS: This nationwide study of patients with DCM demonstrates that longer disease duration is associated with worse prognosis. Co-morbidities are more common in long-standing HF than in recent-onset HF and are associated with worse outcome. With the increased survival seen in the last decades, our results highlight the importance of careful attention to co-morbid conditions in patients with DCM.

Prognostic impact over time of ischaemic heart disease vs. non-ischaemic heart disease in heart failure.

AIMS: The aim of this study is to investigate the prognostic impact of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in heart failure (HF) and its association to age, sex, left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), and HF duration, and furthermore, to evaluate if the impact of IHD has changed over time, in light of improved therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 30 946 patients with non-valvular HF, by accessing the Swedish Heart Failure Registry, from years 2000 to 2012. The mortality in 17 778 patients with clinical IHD was compared with 13 168 patients without IHD (non-IHD). There was a significantly worse outcome in IHD, with the crude mortality of 41.1% and the event rate per 100 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI)] of 14.8 (14.4-15.1), compared with 28.2% and 9.7 (9.4-10.0) in non-IHD. After multivariable adjustment, the hazard ratio (HR) (95% CI) for mortality, IHD vs. non-IHD, was 1.16 (1.11-1.22; P < 0.0001). Subgroup analyses showed significantly increased mortality in IHD, in all age subgroups, in all subgroups with EF < 50%, in both men and women, and regardless of heart failure duration more or less than 6 months. Analyses for the combination of age and EF showed the highest HR for time to death in the youngest with the lowest EF, HR (95% CI) 2.05 (1.59-2.64) for patients <60 years of age with EF < 30%. Although a numerical reduction of the HR for mortality was seen over time, the risk for mortality in IHD, compared with the non-IHD group, was greater throughout the study period. CONCLUSIONS: In non-valvular heart failure, IHD was associated with significantly increased mortality, compared with non-IHD, in groups of EF below 50%, in all age groups, and regardless of sex or HF duration. The risk increase associated with EF reduction diminished with increasing age. The mortality in IHD, compared with non-IHD, remained significantly higher throughout the 13 year study period.