Abstract

Heart failure is a complex clinical illness due to structural or functional abnormality in the ventricular filling or ejection of blood from the heart which leads to dyspnea, fatigue, & the presence of edema & rales. This study will help to better understand clinical profile and etiology of Heart Failure in elderly patients in this region. It will facilitate better long term management and also initiate appropriate preventive measures to minimize exacerbations of Heart Failure. Material and Methods: Inclusion Criteria- All patients above 60 years of age with heart failure on the basis of Boston Criteria were included in my research. Exclusion CriteriaPatients with COPD, Patients not giving written informed consent. Results: The present prospective, observational sectional research was conducted in 138 heart failure patients. Maximum patients were males (70.29%). Most of the patient of heart failure were of age group 66-70 years (41.30%).67.39% patients were having reduced ejection fraction (<40%), 26.81% were having preserved ejection fraction (>50%) & 6.52% were having borderline ejection fraction (40-50%). Common clinical symptoms among the research patients were dyspnea (98.55%), followed by orthopnea (81.88%). Basal lung crepitations were found in 93.48% of patients, peripheral edema was seen in 63.04%. The most common etiology among the research patients was ischemic heart disease (56.52%) followed by hypertensive heart disease (19.57%) & cardiomyopathy (11.59%). Conclusion: Early recognition & treatment of these co-morbid conditions can reduce exacerbations of Heart Failure. Screening & counseling of patients with high risk factors is crucial in early diagnosis & treatment of heart failure.

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