Prevalence and Aetiology of Heart Failure in Patients Seen at a Teaching Hospital in Ghana

Materials and MethodsThis was a descriptive study carried out at the cardiac clinic of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana.Ethical approval was obtained from the appropriate ethical committee.Medical records of 524 patients were selected from the cardiac clinic, using simple random sampling.The demographic, clinical, chest X-ray, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic characteristics of the patients was examined.Heart failure was diagnosed, using the modified Framingham criteria for the diagnosis of heart failure [10,18,19]. Major criteria includedParoxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea, raised jugular venous pressure, clinical cardiomegaly, basal crepitations, S3 gallop, clinical acute pulmonary oedema, pulmonary upper lobe blood diversion on chest X-ray or pulmonary oedema on chest X-ray. Minor criteria includedTachycardia, orthopnoea, exertional dyspnoea, nocturnal cough, hepatomegaly, pleural effusion, diuretic use.Heart failure was diagnosed if the patient had two major and one minor or one major and two minor criteria.