Key result
Tachycardia, cardiac conduction blocks, and eccentric LV hypertrophy were associated with LVEF < 50% in elderly patients.
Why the study?
Data on factors associated with heart failure with reduced LVEF among elderly patients in sub-Saharan Africa are limited.
In elderly Cameroonian patients with heart failure, tachycardia, conduction blocks, and eccentric LVH are associated with reduced LVEF, though small sample size limits multivariate analysis.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Should not yet change practice in elderly HF; leaves open prospective validation of these univariate associations.
Background: Heart failure (HF) is a growing public health burden, particularly among elderly patients, in whom reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) is associated with worse outcomes. Data on factors associated with HF with reduced Left Ventricle Ejection Fraction (LVEF) in sub-Saharan Africa are limited. This study aimed to identify factors associated with HF with LVEF < 50% among elderly patients in two teaching hospitals in Cameroon. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study supplemented with prospective data collection from November 2021 to April 2022 in the cardiology units of Yaoundé Central Hospital and Yaoundé General Hospital. Patients aged ≥65 years with HF were included. Data on demographics, comorbidities, geriatric syndromes, echocardiographic parameters, and cardiovascular risk factors were collected. Univariate logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with LVEF < 50%; multivariate analysis was not reliable due to sparse data. Our variables were statistically significant for p-values <0.05. Results: A total of 63 patients were included (mean age 75.0 ± 6.4 years; 66.7% female). Hypertension was the most common comorbidity (81.0%), and frailty was present in 42.9%. On univariate analysis, tachycardia (OR 7.1; 95% CI 1.9–25.8), cardiac conduction blocks (OR 3.7; 95% CI 1.2–11.3), and eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy (OR 7.0; 95% CI 2.3–21.5) were significantly associated with LVEF < 50%, whereas normal heart rate, concentric LVH, decreased inferior vena cava compliance, and diastolic dysfunction appeared protective. Multivariable analysis could not be reliably performed due to sparse data.
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Amalia et al. (2025) studied this question. Tachycardia, cardiac conduction blocks, and eccentric LV hypertrophy were associated with LVEF < 50% in elderly patients.
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