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About 30% to 50% of patients with heart failure (HF) have preserved left ventricular systolic function (LVSF). This form of HF has been associated with advancing age and female sex in studies limited by size, selection methods, or risk-adjustment parameters.
To assess age and sex as potential risk factors for HF with preserved LVSF in a large, unselected cohort, researchers analyzed data from 19,710 hospitalized fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries (minimum age, 65) enrolled in the National Heart Failure Project. All patients had had LVSF measured in the hospital or previously and had been discharged between April 1998 and March 1999 with primary diagnoses of HF. Diagnoses were corroborated by history of HF or radiographic evidence of HF o…