Background: Heart failure (HF) is expected to be highly prevalent in nursing home residents, but precise figures\nare scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HF in nursing home residents and to get\ninsight in the clinical characteristics of residents with HF.\nMethods: The study followed a multi-centre cross-sectional design.\nNursing home residents (n = 501) in the southern part of the Netherlands aged over 65 years and receiving long-term\nsomatic or psychogeriatric care were included in the study. The diagnosis of HF and related characteristics were based\non data collected from actual clinical examinations (including history, physical examination, ECG, cardiac markers and\nechocardiography), patient records and questionnaires. A panel of two cardiologists and a geriatrician ultimately\njudged the data to diagnose HF.\nResults: The overall prevalence of HF in nursing home residents was 33 %, of which 52 % had HF with preserved\nejection fraction. The symptoms dyspnoea and oedema and a cardiac history were more common in residents with\nHF. Diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were also more prevalent in those with HF.\nResidents with HF had a higher score on the Mini Mental State Examination. 54 % of those with HF where not\nknown before, and in 31 % with a history of HF, this diagnosis was not confirmed by the expert panel.\nConclusion: This study shows that HF is highly prevalent in nursing home residents with many unknown or falsely\ndiagnosed with HF. Equal number of HF patients had reduced and preserved left-ventricular ejection fraction.
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