title: Characteristics, outcomes, and predictors of 1-year mortality in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acute heart failure (AHF) is associated with poor prognosis and requires recurrent hospitalizations. However, studies on AHF characteristics, treatment, and prognostic factors are few. Our aim was to investigate the characteristics, treatment, and 1-year prognosis of AHF and identify prognostic factors in different clinical groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We conducted a prospective multicentre study with 620 patients hospitalized due to AHF; mean age 75.1 (10.4) years, 50% male. Half of the patients had new-onset heart failure. Acute congestion (63.5%) and pulmonary oedema (26.3%) were the most common clinical presentations. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was reported in two-thirds of patients. Half of these had preserved systolic function (LVEF> or =45%). At discharge, 86% of patients had beta-blockers and 76% either ACE-inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers in use. The 12-month all-cause mortality was 27.4%. We identified several clinical and biochemical prognostic risk factors in univariate analysis. Independent predictors of 1-year mortality were older age, male gender, lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) on admission, C-reactive protein, and serum creatinine >120 micromol/L.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We present the characteristics and prognosis of an unselected population of AHF patients. One-year mortality is high, and independent clinical risk factors include age, male gender, lower SBP on admission, C-reactive protein, and renal dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Helsinki, University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Krista
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Siirilä-Waris
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lassus
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Melin
authors.forename: Keijo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peuhkurinen
authors.forename: Markku S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Nieminen
authors.forename: Veli-Pekka
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Harjola
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies