Hospitalized heart failure patients with preserved vs. reduced ejection fraction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: a prospective study

Aims To compare the baseline characteristics, pharmacological treatment, and in-hospital outcomes across hospitalized heart failure (HF) patients with preserved LVEF (HF-PEF) and those with reduced LVEF (HF-REF). Method and results This was a prospective analysis of consecutive patients admitted with decompensated HF at two government hospitals in the United Arab Emirates, from 1 December 2011 to 30 November 2012. Multivariate factors of HF-PEF vs. HFREF included elevated systolic blood pressure [odds ratio (OR) 1.02; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.03], heart rate (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.97-0.99), age (OR 1.02; 95% CI 1.01-1.04), female sex (OR 2.38; 95% CI 1.41-4.03), angina or myocardial infarction (OR 0.42; 95% CI 0.25-0.71), AF (OR 1.82; 95% CI 1.05-3.15), COPD or asthma (OR 2.80; 95% CI 1.47-5.35), Charlson Comorbidity Index score (OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.64-0.88), and anaemia (OR 2.97; 95% CI 1.64-5.38). In-hospital outcomes were similar between the two groups. However, patients with HF-PEF were less likely to be prescribed HF medication, and used more anticoagulants and fewer antiplatelet medications. Conclusion These results suggest that patients with HF-PEF are older, more often female, and have higher prevalence of respiratory diseases and AF. Compared with developed countries, hospitalized HF patients in the Middle East are 10 years younger and have a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, and the majority have HF-REF.