Clinical Outcome and Reversibility of Systolic Dysfunction in Patients With Dilated Cardiomyopathy Due to Hypertension and Chronic Heart Failure

There is little information on the clinical and functional course of patients with heart failure secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy due to hypertension. The objectives of our study were to assess the clinical and functional course of these patients, and to identify possible predictors of prognosis. We evaluated a series of 49 patients with this condition diagnosed in our hospital from 1994 to 2003. Mean age was 63 (11) years, and 40% were women. Left ventricular ejection fraction was 30.1 (4.8)%. Follow-up was 45 (23) months (median, 41 months). Four-year survival was 0.84, the 4-year rate of hospitalization due to heart failure was 0.12, and likelihood of readmission-free survival was 0.80 at 4 years. Left ventricular ejection fraction increased from 30.1 (4.8)% to 57.6 (13.5)% ( P