Prevalence of heart failure and systolic ventricular dysfunction in older Australians: The Canberra heart study

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of heart failure (HF) and left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction in a population-based sample of older Australians. Design, setting and participants: A cross-sectional survey of 2000 randomly selected residents of Canberra, aged 60-86 years, conducted between February 2002 and June 2003. Participants were assessed by history, physical examination by a cardiologist, and echocardiography. Main outcome measures: Age- and sex-specific prevalence rates of clinical HF and LV systolic dysfunction (defined as LV ejection fraction ≤ 50%). Results: Of 1846 people eligible for our study, 1388 (75%) agreed to participate and 1275 completed all investigations (me..