Background: Although diastolic dysfunction is important pathophysiology in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), its prognostic impact in HFpEF patients, including those with atrial fibrillation (AF), remains to be elucidated.Methods and Results:We included the data for 863 patients (321 patients with AF) registered in a prospective multicenter observational study of patients with HFpEF. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the 2016 ASE/EACVI recommendations. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death or HF rehospitalization. Median age was 83 years, and 55.5% were female. 196 (22.7%) were classified with normal diastolic function (ND), 253 (29.3%) with indeterminate (ID) and 414 (48.0%) with diastolic dysfunction (DD). The primary endpoint occurred more frequently in patients with DD than in those with ND or ID (log-rank P<0.001 for DD vs. ND, and log-rank P=0.007 for DD vs. ID, respectively). Taking ND as the reference, multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that DD (hazard ratio (HR): 1.57, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.06-2.32, P=0.024) was independently associated with the composite endpoint, whereas ID (HR: 1.28, 95% CI: 0.84-1.95, P=0.255) was not. DD was associated with the composite endpoint in both patients with and without AF.
Conclusions: HFpEF patients classified with DD using the 2016 ASE/EACVI recommendations had worse clinical outcomes than those with ND or ID. DD may be considered a prognostic marker in patients with HFpEF regardless of AF.
Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Diastolic dysfunction; Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF); Prognosis.