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Short-term rehospitalisation or death and determinants after admission for acute heart failure in a cohort of African patients in Port Harcourt, southern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND
Heart failure (HF) is a major health burden globally and contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality related to cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine the outcome, and factors determining these outcomes in patients admitted for acute HF and followed up for six months.


METHOD
This was a hospital-based, prospective study. Subjects included consecutive patients with a confirmed diagnosis of acute HF admitted to the medical wards of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) in Nigeria over one year. All had a full physical examination and relevant investigations, including echocardiography. Subjects were followed up for six months and reassessed for outcome/endpoint, which was rehospitalisation or death. Factors that predicted these outcomes were also determined.


RESULTS
There were 160 subjects, 84 females and 76 males, age range 20 to 87 years, mean age 52.49 ± 13.89 years. Sixteen subjects (10.0%) were lost to follow up, 66 (41.3%) showed clinical improvement, 57 (35.6%) were rehospitalised, while 21 (13.1%) died. Determinants of rehospitalisation were New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, heart failure type, haemoglobin level at presentation and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Determinants of mortality were NYHA class and haemoglobin level at presentation.


CONCLUSION
Heart failure rehospitalisation and mortality rates of 35.6 and 13.1%, respectively, were high compared to developed countries.