Clinical characteristics and outcomes of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: lessons from epidemiological studies.

Recent epidemiological studies have demonstrated that nearly half of all patients with heart failure (HF) have preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HFPEF). Compared to those with reduced EF, patients with HFPEF are older, more likely to be women, less likely to have coronary artery disease, and more likely to have hypertension and atrial fibrillation. Patients with HFPEF receive different pharmacological as well as nonpharmacological treatments from those with reduced EF. Morbidity and mortality in patients with HFPEF are largely similar to those with reduced EF. Although much information has recently been obtained about the clinical characteristics, medications, and outcomes of HFPEF by large-scale clinical and epidemiological studies, effective management strategies need to be established for this type of HF.