[Heart failure in elderly patients in Brazzaville, Congo: clinical and etiologic aspects and outcome].

The aim of the study is to report clinical, etiologic aspects and the outcome of heart failure in elderly hospital patients treated in Brazzaville, Congo. This retrospective study was carried out over a 20-month period from January 1, 2005 to August 31, 2006. In addition to age over 60 years, the main inclusion criteria was diagnosis of heart failure based on clinical, radiological, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic evidence. A total of 223 patients, i.e., 50.0% of 446 patients over the age of 60 years evaluated, were included in the study. There were 125 women (56.1%) and 98 men (43.9%) (p = 0.0105). Mean age in the overall population was 70.4 +/- 6.2 years (range, 60 to 100 years). Heart failure was global in 148 cases (66.4%), left sided in 49 (22.0%), and right sided in 26 (11.6%). Left ventricular dysfunction was systolic in 93 cases (47.2%) and diastolic in 83 (42.1%) (p = 0.31). Underlying causes were hypertension in 77 cases (34.5%), coronary disease in 57 (25.6%), valvulopathy in 21 (9.4%), and myocardiopathy in 17 (7.6%). Chronic pulmonary heart disease was diagnosed in 25 cases (11.2%). Other cardiac diseases were found in 8 cases (3.6%). All patients underwent medical treatment. Thrombolytics were not used in cases involving myocardial infarction. The death rate was 20.2% (n = 45), i.e., 12 cases involving hypertensive cardiopathy, 8 involving coronary artery disease, 3 involving valvular cardiopathy, and 5 involving chronic pulmonary heart disease. The type of cardiopathy was undetermined in 17 cases. Heart failure is common in the elderly. Prevention depends on reducing cardiovascular risk factors especially arterial hypertension.