Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a frequently neglected co-morbidity in patients with heart failure (HF). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of COPD in patients hospitalized for HF. Consecutive patients (n=799) admitted for a first episode of HF in all healthcare establishments of the Somme department (France) during 2000 were prospectively enrolled. Baseline characteristics and long-term prognosis were compared according to COPD status. COPD was diagnosed in 156 patients (19.5%). Compared with the no-COPD group, patients with COPD were predominantly men, more often smokers, and had lower discharge prescription rates of beta blockers (6% vs 27%, p<0.001). Five-year survival rate in patients with COPD was significantly lower than that of the no-COPD group (31% vs 42%, p=0.03). Compared with the expected survival of the age- and gender-matched general population, the 5-year survival rate in patients with COPD was dramatically lower (31% vs 71%). On multivariable analysis, COPD was a strong predictor of poorer outcome (hazard ratio 1.53, 95% confidence interval 1.21 to 1.94, p<0.001). COPD was an independent predictor of mortality in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and in patients with reduced ejection fraction. In conclusion, patients with HF and associated COPD have a poor prognosis with an impressive excess mortality compared to HF patients without COPD and the general population. Beta-blocker prescription rates remain deceptively low in this category of patients with HF.