STUDY OF CLINICAL PROFILE AND SERUM CHLORIDE LEVELS IN PATIENTS OF HEART FAILURE

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a major global health burden characterized by signicant morbidity and mortality. While sodium and potassium disturbances are well-known in HF, recent research has highlighted the prognostic role of serum chloride. Hypochloremia has been linked to worse outcomes, including neurohormonal activation and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). This study aimed to evaluate the clinical prole and serum chloride levels in HF patients and explore their association with cardiac function. Methodology: A prospective observational study was conducted from March 2022 to December 2023 at MGM Medical College, Navi Mumbai. A total of 105 patients diagnosed with HF based on Framingham criteria were enrolled using simple random sampling. Clinical data, demographic variables, laboratory parameters including serum electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride), and LVEF were analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v25.0, and signicance was set at p<0.05. Results: The majority of patients were males (65.38%) and aged between 50–59 years (26.92%). Neck vein distension (31.43%) was the most common clinical feature. Hypochloremia was observed in 69.52% of patients, and a signicant association was found between hypochloremia and reduced LVEF (<40%) (p=0.0001). Additionally, 41.51% had hypernatremia and 35.24% had hyperkalemia. Most patients (60.95%) had reduced LVEF, with hypochloremia present in 98.46% of these cases. Conclusion: Hypochloremia is highly prevalent in HF patients and is signicantly associated with reduced LVEF, underscoring its potential as a prognostic marker. Routine evaluation of serum chloride levels may aid in better risk stratication and management of heart failure.