Impact of sex differences in co-morbidities and medication adherence on outcome in 25 776 heart failure patients

__Aims:__ Health insurance claims (HIC) databases in the Netherlands capture unselected patient populations, which makes them suitable for epidemiological research on sex differences. Based on a HIC database, we aimed to reveal sex differences in heart failure (HF) outcomes, with particular focus on co-morbidities and medication. __Methods and results:__ The Achmea HIC database included 14 517 men and 11 259 (45%) women with a diagnosis treatment code for chronic HF by January 2015. We related their sex, co-morbidities, and medication adherence (medication possession rate >0.8) with the primary endpoint (PE) of all-cause mortality or HF admission during a median follow-up of 3.3 years, using Cox regression. Median age of men and women was 72 and 76 years, respectively. Prevalence of co-morbidities and use of disease-modifying drugs was higher in men; however, medication adherence was similar. At the end of follow-up, 35.1% men and 31.8% women had reached the PE. The adjusted hazard ratio for men was 1.25 (95% confidence interval: 1.19–1.30). A broad range of co-morbidities was associated with the PE. Overall, these associations were stronger in women than in men, particularly for renal insufficiency, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/asthma, and diabetes. Non-adherence to disease-modifying drugs was related with a higher incidence of the PE, with similar effects between sexes. __Conclusions:__ In a representative sample of the Dutch population, as captured in a HIC database, men with chronic HF had a 25% higher incidence of death or HF admission than women. The impact of co-morbidities on the outcome was sex dependent, while medication adherence was not

Heart failure and promotion of physical activity before and after cardiac rehabilitation (HF-aPProACH)

Aims: Lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity (PA), are a cornerstone of treatment of patients with chronic heart failure (HF). However, improving PA in HF patients is challenging, and low participation rates for cardiac rehabilitation (CR) as well as relapse to low PA levels after CR are major issues. We designed a randomized controlled trial to investigate if PA monitoring with motivational feedback before and after centre-based CR in HF patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) will lead to a clinically meaningful increase in physical fitness. Methods and results: A randomized controlled trial will be conducted in a sample of 180 HFrEF patients (New York Heart Association Class II/III) who are referred to 12-week standard CR. Patients will be randomized (2:1) to (1) standard of care (SoC) plus wearing a PA monitoring device (Fitbit Charge 3) with personalized step goals, feedback and motivation or (2) SoC only. The intervention lasts ±7 months: 4–5 weeks before CR, 12 weeks during CR and 12 weeks after CR. Measurements will take place at three time points. The primary endpoint is the change in the distance in 6-min walking test (6MWT) over the entire study period. Other endpoints include step count, grip strength, quality of life and all-cause mortality or hospitalization. Conclusions: HF-aPProACH will provide novel information on the effectiveness of remote PA stimulation and feedback before, during and after standard CR using a commercially available device to improve physical fitness in HFrEF patients.</p