Objective: To investigate the prevalence and related factors of medicinal therapy in patients with chronic systolic heart failure (CSHF).
Methods: Data on in-hospital patients with CSHF were studied from 12 hospitals in Hubei province, in 2000 and 2010. Differences on gender and age were calculated and Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to determinate the independent risk factors of all-cause mortality.
Results: (1) 16 681 patients were enrolled in this study. Among which, 6453 died during the 5.82 ± 1.63 years of follow-up. The annual medical expenditure was larger in the survival group than in the dead ones (3.19 ± 0.65 vs. 3.32 ± 0.57, P < 0.01). (2) The prevalence of Angiotensin II receptor blocker increased along with age which accounted as 7.73%, 7.35%, 12.26%, 14.29%, 17.19%, 19.87% and 20.49%, respectively, in the < 30, 30 - 39, 40 - 49, 50 - 59, 60 - 69, 70 - 79 and ≥ 80-year groups. The distribution of digitalis, diuretics, β-receptor blocker, Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors showed inversed U shape. (3) The annual medical expenditure increased as patients got older, with age groups < 30, 30 - 39, 40 - 49, 50 - 59, 60 - 69 and 70 - 79 years old as 2.96 ± 0.70, 3.09 ± 0.62, 3.15 ± 0.58, 3.30 ± 0.59 and 3.25 ± 0.58, respectively (P < 0.01). It reduced to the same level as in the 50 - 59 year-old group. The distribution of annual medical expenditure showed similar pattern in males. However, the trends were only found in patients at 50 - 59, 60 - 69, 70 - 79 and ≥ 80 years-old groups in female.
Conclusion: More attention should be paid to medicinal therapy in patients with CSHF. Medicinal therapy shifted with age and gender, of which females had more adverse trend than in males.