Korean Circ J.  2003 Jun;33(6):533-541. 10.4070/kcj.2003.33.6.533.

Multicenter Analysis of Clinical Characteristics of the Patients with Congestive Heart Failure in Korea

• Lee MM
• Oh BH
• Park HS
• Chae SC
• Lee SH
• Kim JJ
• Ahn YG
• Jung MH
• Han SW
• Ryu KH

• KMID: 1858822
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4070/kcj.2003.33.6.533

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Congestive heart failure is one of the most frequent problems in cardiovascular patients. However, very little data concerning this syndrome in Korea was available. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics of hospitalized Korean patients with congestive heart failure.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
Six university hospitals that fulfilled the protocol for clinical information of the patients with heart failure, were prospectively engaged in this study. Six hundred and ninety patients, admitted between Jan. 1. 1998 and Dec. 31. 1999, were enrolled.
RESULTS
Ischemic heart disease was the most frequent underlying disease (33.2%), with the other causes of heart failure being cardiomyopathy (23%), hypertensive heart disease (22%) and valvular heart disease (12.7%). Compared with ischemic cardiomyopathy, the patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy were younger (61.1+/-16.6 vs. 66.9+/-10.3, p<0.05), had less incidence of diabetes (16.8% vs. 32.2%) and smoked less (13.5+/-21.5 vs. 20.4+/-26.0 pack-year). The common aggravating factors were arrhythmia (22%), myocardial ischemia (21.7%) and infection (18.7%). Thirty nine (5.7%) patients died during the one year follow up period. Ischemic heart disease was the main underlying disease in the fatal cases (46.2%).
CONCLUSION
Ischemic heart disease was the major cause of heart failure, and the leading cause of death in Korean patients with congestive heart failure.

Keyword

Heart failure, congestive; Epidemiology; Coronary disease

MeSH Terms

Arrhythmias, Cardiac
Cardiomyopathies
Cardiomyopathy, Dilated
Cause of Death
Coronary Disease
Epidemiology
Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)*
Follow-Up Studies
Heart Diseases
Heart Failure*
Heart Valve Diseases
Hospitals, University
Humans
Incidence
Korea*
Myocardial Ischemia
Prospective Studies
Smoke
Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)
Smoke