Impact of polypharmacy on prognosis in patients with acute decompensated heart failure: from the CURE-HF registry

Background Polypharmacy would be associated with poor prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF). Methods In 863 patients who discharged after treatment for HF were prospectively enrolled. Number of tablets prescribed at discharge was counted. Death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, and hospitalization for HF were tracked. Results In our study cohort (median age, 78), 447 patients experienced adverse events during median 503 days follow-up. In Kaplan-Meier analysis, a greater number of prescribed tablets was associated with future adverse cardiac events in the crude population. Although patients with the greater number of non-HF medications showed worse outcome, those of HF medications were not associate with the outcome (Figure). Furthermore, the number of tablets was an independent predictor of future cardiovascular events after adjustment for age, gender, B-type natriuretic peptide, hemoglobin, albumin, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and left ventricular ejection fraction (HR 95% CI: 1.295 (1.066–1.573), p=0.009). Conclusions Polypharmacy was associated with poor prognosis. Although the numbers of tablets and non-HF medications were significantly associated with worse out come in HF patients, the number of HF medications was not. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.