title: Prognostic determinants of patients with chronic systolic heart failure secondary to systemic arterial hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) is an important cause of chronic systolic heart failure (CHF) in underdeveloped countries. It would be desirable to know predictors of mortality for patients with this condition in order to provide proper scientific treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine risk factors for all-cause mortality in patients with CHF secondary to SAH in the current era of heart failure therapy for left ventricular systolic dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients routinely and prospectively followed at the Cardiomyopathy Clinic of our Institution from January, 2000 to April, 2008 with the diagnosis of CHF secondary to SAH were screened for the study. Cox proportional hazards model was used to establish independent predictors of all-cause mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred thirty patients were included; 74 (57%) were male. Thirty one (24%) patients died, 5 (4%) underwent heart transplantation, and 94 (72%) were alive at study end. Survival probability at 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months was 96%, 93%, 84%, 79%, and 76%, respectively. Age (Hazard Ratio=1,05, 95% Confidence Interval 95% 1,01 to 1,08, p value=0,01), left ventricular diastolic dimension (Hazard Ratio=1,08; 95% Confidence Interval 1,02 to 1,09; p value=0,003), and B-Blocker therapy (Hazard Ratio=0,41; 95% Confidence Interval 0,19 to 0,86; p value=0,02) were found to be independent predictors of mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age, left ventricular diastolic dimension and underuse of Beta-Blocker therapy were independent predictors of mortality for patients with CHF secondary to SAH in the population studied.
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Base São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Dalva M S
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Rolande
authors.forename: João Paulo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Fantini
authors.forename: Augusto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cardinalli Neto
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cordeiro
authors.forename: Reinaldo B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Bestetti
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002423:Cause of Death; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D054143:Heart Failure, Systolic / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis