Key result
Among outpatients with heart failure, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction was observed in 71% of patients with Chagas disease compared to 93% of patients without Chagas disease.
Why the study?
NYHA functional classification and reduced LVEF are both key prognostic markers in heart failure, but their relationship required comparison between patients with and without Chagas disease.
Cross-Sectional (n=127)
No
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
In outpatients with heart failure, advanced NYHA functional class is associated with reduced LVEF, with Chagas disease patients showing a distinct distribution of LVEF compared to non-Chagas patients.
Introduction: Chagas disease, an infection caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is an important health problem worldwide that causes cardiac dilation, arrhythmias, and death. Heart failure is a complex syndrome with high morbidity and mortality rates that progresses with similar complications. The New York Heart Association functional classification is used to categorize heart failure severity and stratify heart disease risks and therapies. A reduced left ventricular ejection fraction measured by echocardiography is directly related to a poor prognosis. Objective: To compare the relationship between New York Heart Association functional classification and left ventricular ejection fraction in Chagas versus no Chagas disease outpatients. Methods: Cross-sectional study in a cohort of patients followed at a heart failure clinic. Medical records, clinical interviews, functional classification, and left ventricular ejection fraction by echocardiography were analyzed. The data were filed in a database and analyzed using SPSS software. Results: A total of 127 patients with heart failure were selected from August 2018 to July 2019. Of them, 34 (26.8%) had Chagas disease and 93 (73.3%) had no Chagas disease. There was a predominance of men (53.5%) and patients aged > 60 years (61.4%). There was also a predominance of functional class II. Of the Chagas and no Chagas disease patients, 71% versus 93% had a reduced ejection fraction, 21% versus 6% had a mid-range ejection fraction, and 8% versus 1% had a preserved ejection fraction, respectively. Conclusion: There was an association between advanced functional class and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, especially in Chagas patients, information that can be used for outpatient follow-up.
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Santana et al. (2021) conducted a cross-sectional in Heart Failure (n=127). Chagas disease vs. No Chagas disease was evaluated on Reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (<40%) (p=0.004). Among outpatients with heart failure, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction was observed in 71% of patients with Chagas disease compared to 93% of patients without Chagas disease.
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