Adherence to treatment in patients with heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction: an observational study based on a city outpatient clinic

Aim. To assess the clinical features and adherence to treatment in outpatients with heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HFpEF). Material and methods . This cross-sectional observational study was conducted based on a city outpatient clinic involving 230 patients >60 years old with HFpEF. Adherence to therapy was assessed using the National Society for Evidence-Based Pharmacotherapy scale. Results. The mean age of the subjects was 74 years (women, 60,4%). Multimorbidity was recorded in 99,1% of patients, while the most common comorbidities were hypertension (97,4%), coronary artery disease (65,7%) and obesity (39,1%). Most patients (57%) belonged to New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II. The median value of the left ventricular ejection fraction was 64%; 60% of respondents took ≥5 drugs. The level of complete adherence to therapy (0 points) was demonstrated by 77,8% of patients. Among the reasons for incomplete adherence (≥1 point), forgetfulness dominated (54,9%), followed by doubts on the need for therapy (15,7%) and complexity of the treatment regimen (11,8%). Conclusion. Despite the high level of complete adherence to treatment found in the majority of patients with HFpEF, 22,2% demonstrated various violations of the drug treatment regimen, which requires close attention from outpatient physicians.