[Obesity and the prognosis of heart failure: the obesity paradox, myth or reality?]. / Obésité et Pronostic de l'insuffisance cardiaque: le paradoxe de l'obésité, mythe ou réalité?

Obesity has now reached epidemic proportions worldwide. Obesity is associated with numerous comorbidities, including hypertension, lipid disorders and type II diabetes, and is also a major cause of cardiovascular disease, coronary disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and sudden death. Obesity is the main cause of heart failure in respectively 11% and 14% of cases in men and women. The Framingham study showed that, after correction for other risk factors, each point increase in the body mass index raises the risk of heart failure by 5% in men and 7% in women. Obesity increases the heart workload, causes left ventricular hypertrophy, and impairs both diastolic and systolic function. The most common form of heart failure is diastolic dysfunction, and heart failure in obese individuals is associated with preserved systolic function. Despite these comorbidities and the severity of heart failure, numerous studies have revealed an "obesity paradox" in which overweight and obese individuals with heart failure appear to have a better prognosis than non overweight subjects. This review summarizes the adverse cardiac effects of this nutritional disease, the results of some studies supporting the obesity paradox, the better survival rate of obese patients with heart failure. Potential explanations for these surprising data include the possibility that a number of obese patients may simply not have heart failure, as well as methodological bias, and protective effects of adipose tissue. Further studies of large populations are needed to determine how obesity may improve the prognosis of heart failure.

[Cardiac rehabilitation: physiologic basis, beneficial effects and contraindications]. / La réadaptation cardiaque: bases physiologiques, effets bénéfiques, contre-indications.

Cardiac rehabilitation can reduce morbidity and mortality cost-effectively among patients with many types of cardiovascular disease yet is widely underutilized. Rehabilitation is helpful not only for patients who have had myocardial infarction but also for those with stable angina or congestive heart failure and those who have undergone myocardial revascularization, transplantation, or valve surgery. The beneficial effects of rehabilitation include a reduction in mortality from cardiovascular disease, improved exercise tolerance, and fewer cardiac symptoms. This method includes improved risk factor management, more successful smoking cessation, better psychosocial well-being, and an increased likelihood of return to work. Rehabilitation requires a multidisciplinary team focusing on therapeutic education, individually tailored exercise, and optimization of functional status and mental health. Current research trends in this area include the evaluation of new secondary prevention modalities and alternatives such as home-based rehabilitation.

[Prescription and follow-up of antithrombotic treatment with vitamin K antagonists]. / Prescription et suivi d'un traitement anticoagulant par les antivitamines K.

The indications for antithrombotic treatment with vitamin K antagonists are now relatively precise, but management of this treatment is often difficult in clinical practice and be set by problems such as unstable hypocoagulability, an increased bleeding risk, interactions with other therapies and pathologies, and high-level vitamin K intake in the diet. Rigorous and accurate information of the patient and family, along with regular and frequent control of the international normalized ratio (INR), are essential for the safety and efficacy of this treatment. Some physicians cite an excessive bleeding risk as one reason for withholding oral anticoagulation therapy from older patients with atrial fibrillation. Indeed, with the increasing aging of the population, and poor therapeutic observance, there is an increased risk of hemorragic adverse effects. However, vitamin K antagonists are associated with a significant reduction in embolic events, and recent guidelines recommend their prescription for elderly patients with atrial fibrillation. Their impact on the risk of thromboembolic events is well documented, with better results than those obtained with new oral anticoagulants. Education of the patient and family, and close cooperation between the patient, family, physician and entire medical team, are essential for the safety and efficacy of this treatment.

[Bleeding risk and acute coronary syndromes in the elderly]. / Risque hémorragique et syndromes coronariens aigus chez les sujets âgés.

Bleeding has recently emerged as an important factor in the management and outcome of acute coronary syndromes (ACS), particularly in elderly patients undergoing percutaneous invasive revascularization. There is evidence that patients who experience major bleeding in the acute phase of ACS are at a higher risk of death or a new infarct in the following months, although the causal nature of this relationship is controversial. In this short review we present the different definitions of bleeding, recommended strategies for the treatment of non ST elevation ACS, predictors of bleeding, and therapeutic options for reducing this risk in elderly patients.

[Thrombotic risk factors and antithrombotic treatment in atrial fibrillation]. / Facteurs de risque emboliques et traitement antithrombotique pour la fibrillation atriale.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia, and its incidence is rising as the population ages. AF is therefore a growing source of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality due to thromboembolic complications and heart failure. The risk of embolic stroke is multiplied by about 5.6-fold in non rheumatic AF and by 17.6-fold in rheumatic AF Strokes due to AF are often fatal or disabling. Paroxysmal and permanent fibrillation are associated with a similar thromboembolic risk. Embolic complications arise from the left atrium or the left atrial appendage. Known risk factors in patients with AF include a history of thromboembolism or stroke, age > 75 years, heart failure, rheumatic valve disease, mechanical prosthetic valves, arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Ischemic cardiomyopathy, female gender and atherosclerotic vascular disease are associated with an intermediate risk of thromboembolism. Vitamin K antagonist therapy targeting an INR of 2 to 3 reduces the risk of stroke by two-thirds in patients with AF, and causes bleeding in 1.4 % to 3.6 % of patients. The bleeding risk can be evaluated with the CHADS2 scale. Aspirin (75/300 mg per day) reduces the risk of cerebral thromboembolism by about 21%. Current guidelines recommend vitamin K antagonist or dabigatran anticoagulation for patients with a CHADS2 score of 2. Patients with a score of 0 should receive either aspirin or no drug therapy, while patients with a score of 1 may receive either a vitamin K antagonist or aspirin. After successful AF ablation, the existing antithrombotic strategy should be pursued New strategies based on antithrombin or anti-Xa medications will probably have a better risk-benefit ratio.

[Ventricular arrhythmias, sudden death and heart failure]. / Arythmies ventriculaires, mort subite et insuffisance cardiaque.

Despite therapeutic advances, the mortality rate associated with congestive heart failure remains as high as 20% per year. Among patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction, more than 60% of deaths result from ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, 20% from bradyarrhythmias (including advanced atrio-ventricular block or asystole), and 20% from terminal ventricular pump failure. Ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death result from an interaction between a trigger and a substrate with neurohumoral factors (enhanced activity of the adrenergic and renin-angiotensin systems, electrolyte disturbances, etc.). Left ventricular structural lesions result in complex electrophysiological changes, but those mainly responsible for arrhythmias are conduction slowing, changes in the refractory period, inhomogeneous activation and repolarization, and abnormal automaticity. It is important but difficult to identify those patients most at risk. According to current guidelines, most patients with left ventricular dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction below 35%) and symptomatic heart failure may qualify for prophylactic implantation of cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), which have been shown to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death by 26% in randomized trials. The challenge is now to better identify and select patients who will benefit from implanted devices and resynchronization therapy. We review the literature and report our personal experience of the prognostic value of various Holter--ECG parameters providing information on the autonomic nervous system (sinus variability, baroreflex sensitivity), repolarization dynamics (QT dispersion, T alternance, ventricular late potentials) and the results of programmed ventricular stimulation. Combining electrocardiographic stratification with etiologic and clinical information may help to select the best candidates for defibrillator implantation and resynchronization. These devices, combined with optimal pharmacologic treatment, have been shown to reduce overall mortality and sudden death in recent multicenter randomized controlled trials.

[Stress cardiomyopathy, a topical cardiac disorder]. / Les cardiomyopathies de stress, une pathologie cardiaque d'actualité.

Stress cardiomyopathy (Tako-Tsubo, Broken Heart syndrome, or apical ballooning syndrome) was recently recognized as a distinct clinical entity. The aims of this review are to define this acute and reversible cardiomyopathy and to list its major clinical, biological and angiographic features. We performed a Medline scan for all relevant case series. The studies thus identified suggest that the apical ballooning syndrome accounts for 2% of ST-elevation infarcts, mainly affects women, and occurs after major emotional or physical stress. Most patients present with chest pain and dyspnoea, cardiogenic shock and (or?) ventricular fibrillation. ST segment modifications and mildly elevated cardiac enzyme levels are reported in 81% of patients. Left ventricular dysfunction occurs in the absence of epicardial coronary artery obstruction and typically consists of a hyperkinetic basal region and an akinetic apical half of the ventricle. The in-hospital mortality rate is about 1.2%. Most patients recover fully after a few weeks. Norepinephrine concentrations are elevated in three-quarters of patients. This syndrome should be considered among the differential diagnoses in patients presenting with chest pain, and especially in post-menopausal women with a recent history of stress. In its broadest sense, this phenomenon may encompass a range of disorders, including left ventricular dysfunction following central nervous system injury. It should also be considered in women with acute coronary syndromes.

[Myocardial infarction and oral contraceptives]. / Infarctus du myocarde et contraceptifs oraux.

Shortly after the introduction of oral contraceptives in 1960, myocardial infarction (MI) started to emerge as a major adverse effect. Its mechanism and pathophysiology have remained elusive. Many epidemiological studies identified smoking, hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia as risk factors for coronary thrombosis in young women using oral contraceptives. The pathogenesis of MI involves two phases: atherosclerotic plaque formation, and thrombotic arterial occlusion. The use of very low doses of estrogen (less than 50 microg of ethinyl estradiol) and new progestagens have minimized the vascular risks. However, the risk remains in women who smoke or have other atherosclerotic risks factors. We report 12 cases of MI in women aged 35 +/- 5 years who were using different types of oral contraceptive. All the women had several risks factors, such as smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and type II diabetes. Coronarography during the acute phase showed either occlusions on severe atherosclerotic stenoses or thrombosis of arteries with non significant atherosclerotic plaque. In two cases coronarography was normal after thrombolysis. Ten women recovered without sequelae, but reversible left ventricular dysfunction occurred in the other two women, who did not have acute-phase revascularization. Recent case-control studies show that the cardiovascular risk is very low with new, third-generation combined contraceptives. But the risk of MI increases with age, smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes. The absolute risks associated with oral contraceptives and smoking are higher in women over 35, because of the steeply rising incidence of atherosclerosis. It is mandatory to respect the classical contraindications of oral contraception.

[Secondary prevention after myocardial infarction]. / Recommandations de l'Académie nationale de médecine pour la prise en charge des patients après infarctus du myocarde.

The mortality rate after myocardial infarction fell sharply with the advent of reperfusion methods and the use of efficient antithrombotic and antiischemic drugs. However, new infarcts, heart failure, arrythmias and sudden death remain frequent, especially in the first two years after the initial event. Large clinical studies have defined and validated therapies for secondary prevention, but the recommended measures are not always properly implemented. Patients with and without ST elevation after myocardial infarction share the same pathophysiologic mechanism, namely atherosclerotic plaque rupture or erosion, with different degrees of superimposed thrombosis and distal embolization. Secondary prevention is the same for these two patient categories. Acute coronary syndromes are associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes (new myocardial ischemia, left ventricular dysfunction or sudden death) and require aggressive secondary prevention. However, risks factors such as smoking, hypertension, obesity, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes frequently persist. In addition, medical practice does not always respect consensus guidelines. Early risk stratification is necessary to detect residual myocardial ischemia in viable myocardium. After the acute phase, the prognosis depends on the degree of left ventricular dysfunction and the extent and severity of residual ischemia. Exercise and ambulatory electrocardiography, stress echocardiography, perfusion scintigraphy using vasodilator stress, magnetic resonance imaging and coronary angiography are all useful for identifying high-risk patients. Secondary prevention should include risk factor management with lifestyle modifications such as weight reduction, a reduction in saturated fats and an increase in monounsaturated fatty acids. Smoking cessation is crucial, and regular physical activity (30 min per day at least 5 days a week) is beneficial. Cardiac rehabilitation has been shown to improve exercise tolerance and cardiovascular outcome.

[Myocardial infarction with "angiographycally normal coronary arteries" myth or reality?]. / Infarctus du myocarde à artères coronaires "angiographiquement normale", mythe ou réalité?

The leading cause of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in patients with coronary heart disease is plaque rupture. Between 6% and 12% of AMI patients have angiographically normal coronary arteries. However, new procedures have demonstrated the limits of coronarography and challenged the existence of this situation. Angiograms may fail to detect minimal lesions whereas, in many cases, intravascular sonography reveals small atherosclerotic plaques. With the development of intravascular sonography and multislice computed tomography, the prevalence of myocardial infarction with normal coronary arteries has fallen to about 1%. Myocardial infarction with normal coronary arteries may be due to coronary vasospasm, hypercoagulable states, intense sympathetic stimulation, non atherosclerotic coronary disease, alcohol or cocaine abuse, and systemic diseases. In a series of 1205 AMI patients, we found no significant coronary disease in 45 patients, but intravascular sonography showed minimal intracoronary plaque in 21 of these cases. The 24 patients without significant lesions were young, had no risk factors for AMI without a prodrome, low peak creatine release, a small reduction in the left ventricular ejection fraction after thrombolysis or angioplasty, and good outcome at 26 months. The mechanisms of AMI in these 24 patients were coronary spasm, myocardial bridge, a prothrombotic state, contraceptive pill usage, and drug or alcohol abuse. The diferential diagnoses of these cases of AMI are acute myocarditis and stress cardiomyopathy, and apical left ventricular ballooning. Initial management is the same as for "conventional" AMI, including pain relief nitrates, antiplatelet agents, heparin, thrombolysis or angioplasty in the acute phase, and ACE inhibitors. Patients with spasm should receive calcium antagonists rather than beta-blockers. The prognosis of these patients is better than that of patients with atherosclerotic lesions. They nonetheless need close follow-up and strict secondary prevention measures, including smoking cessation and prevention of dyslipidemia and diabetes.

[Influence of depression on the prognosis of cardiovascular diseases]. / Syndromes dépressifs et pronostic des maladies cardiovasculaires.

Coronary artery disease, heart failure and depression are all highly prevalent after 60 years of age. They significantly affect quality of life and represent a major economic burden for society. Some epidemiological and observational studies suggest that depression is an independent risk factor for the onset and progression of ischemic heart disease and heart failure. Patients with depression are more likely to develop ischemic heart disease, and they are more likely to die or to have a recurrence after myocardial infarction. Heart failure is frequently associated with depression, and this combination carries an increased risk of complications and mortality. Several factors seem to link depression with cardiovascular events and poor outcome, including poor adherence to treatment, sympathetic stimulation, endothelial dysfunction, low heart rate variability, and abnormal platelet function. There is strong evidence that depressive symptoms are a negative prognostic factor in patients with heart failure and coronary heart disease. Treatment of depression improves quality of life, but its impact on the outcome of heart diseases is controversial. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors seem preferable to tricyclic antidepressant for depressive patients with cardiac diseases, because of their good tolerability and lack of cardiovascular effects.

[Arrhythmia-induced dilated cardiomyopathies]. / Cardiomyopathies dilatées d'origine rythmique.

Arrhythmic cardiomyopathies are due to ventricular dysfunction following prolonged or chronic tachycardia; the clinical pictures one of congestive heart failure, which is totally reversible after the treatment of tachycardia and the restoration of sinus rhythm. Since Whipple's first description of this model of heart failure, several teams have shown that ventricular or atrial pacing at rates exceeding 220 beats per minute produces a profound and largely reversible depression of ventricular function, and a constellation of neuroendocrine abnormalities and metabolic, electrophysiological and anatomic alterations of the myocardium. The associated heart failure generally starts to improve within days of achieving ventricular rhythm control, but clinical recovery may take several weeks or months. All forms of chronic tachycardia may induce heart failure, but the onset of cardiomyopathy depends more on the heart rate and the duration of the arrhythmia than on its type. The pathophysiological mechanisms are multiple and complex, and include abnormalities in the structure and function of cardiomyocytes and disturbances in excitation-contraction coupling. Treatment consists of restoring and maintaining sinus rhythm, or at least of controlling the ventricular rate. Because of its curative effect, selective radiofrequency ablation is the treatment of choice when the arrhythmogenic substrate is localized. Control of the ventricular rate by radiofrequency modification of atrioventricular conduction is the treatment of choice for chronic atrial fibrillation.

[Coronary syndromes in the elderly]. / Les syndromes coronariens aigus chez le sujet agé.

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are frequent in the elderly and carry a poor prognosis. Severe coronary artery disease, frequent comorbidity, late diagnosis, and treatments themselves are responsible for high morbidity and mortality rates. Reluctance to treat elderly patients with new mechanical or chemical revascularization techniques is due to the higher risk profile. ACS may or may not be accompanied by ST elevation: STEMI corresponds to acute myocardial infarction before myocardial necrosis, while non STEMI corresponds to unstable angina and subendocardial necrosis. Despite the high incidence of STEMI in the elderly, older patients have been excluded from large randomized trials. Chemical and mechanical reperfusion are the two recommended treatments for patients hospitalized before the 6th hour. Intravenous thrombolysis is the most common strategy: it offers a 26% reduction in mortality compared to conventional treatment, but carries a higher risk of brain hemorrhage than in younger patients. In high-throughput centers with experienced cardiologists, primary angioplasty seems to be the optimal strategy, with fewer deaths and recurrent ischemia. Two approaches are possible for NST-ACS: conservative or interventional. The latter includes medical treatment, early coronarography and revascularization by angioplasty or surgery. This strategy, combined with aspirin, clopidogrel, and glycoprotein II B/IIIa receptor inhibitors, offers a larger absolute reduction in the 30-day major adverse clinical event rate than conservative management. Dedicated randomized trials are needed to provide a more thorough picture of ACS management in the elderly.

[Sleep apnea syndromes and cardiovascular disease]. / Syndromes d'apnées du sommeil et pathologie cardiovasculaire.

Sleep-disordered breathing is very common and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cardiac arrhythmia and stroke. There are two types of sleep apnea: obstructive and central. The objective of this review is to provide a broad perspective of the pathophysiological and clinical aspects of the two types of apnea and to discuss their cardiovascular adverse effects. The diagnosis of sleep apnea syndrome is based on polysomnography, and severity is measured with an apnea-hypopnea index that counts the total number of apneas per hour of sleep. Recent large epidemiologic studies have shown that sleep apnea affects about 16% of men and 5% of women between 30 and 65 years of age. Obstructive sleep apnea is characterized by abnormal collapse of the pharyngeal airway during sleep, snoring, vigorous inspiratory efforts causing frequent arousal, and excessive daytime drowsiness. Central sleep apnea with Cheyne-Stokes respiration is a form of periodic breathing with frequent periods of hyperventilation, and carries a poor prognosis in patients with heart failure. Obstructive apnea can also have substantial health consequences. Although the exact mechanism linking sleep apnea with cardiovascular disease is unknown, there is evidence that obstructive apnea is associated with a group of proinflammatory and prothrombic factors that are also important in the development of atherosclerosis. Nocturnal and daytime sympathetic activity is elevated after sleep apnea. Autonomic abnormalities include an increased resting heart rate, decreased cardiac rhythm activity, and increased blood pressure variability. Obstructive apnea is associated with endothelial dysfunction, increased C-reactive protein and cytokine expression, elevated fibrinogen levels and decreased fibrinolytic activity. Enhanced platelet activity and aggregation, leukocyte adhesion and accumulation of endothelial cells are common in both obstructive apnea and atherosclerosis. Surges in sympathetic activity, blood pressure, ventricular wall tension and afterload adversely affect ventricular function. Many studies have shown that patients with obstructive apnea have an increased incidence of daytime hypertension, and this syndrome is recognized as an independent risk factor for hypertension. Obstructive apnea is associated with myocardial ischemia (silent or symptomatic), acute coronary events, stroke and transient ischemic attacks, cardiac arrhythmia, pulmonary hypertension and heart failure. Central sleep apnea is frequent in severe heart failure. Most heart failure patients with pulmonary congestion chronically hyperventilate because of stimulation of vagal irritant receptors and central and peripheral chemosensitivity. When PaCO2 falls below the threshold required to stimulate breathing, the central drive to respiratory muscles and air inflow ceases and central apnea ensues. Apnea, hypoxia, CO2 retention and arousals provoke elevated sympathetic activity, increased afterload and elevated left ventricular transmural pressure, and promote the progression of heart failure. Tentative relationships have been identified between central apnea and markers of inflammation, oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. Recent mid-terms trials showed that nocturnal use of positive airway pressure in patients with the two types of apnea alleviates symptoms, reduces sympathetic activity, improves ventricular function and quality of life, and reduces daytime drowsiness. More studies are needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the relationship between sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease, but clinicians should be aware of this link and should attempt to identify patients with these syndromes.

[Prognosis after acute coronary syndrome. Lack of difference according to the sex]. / Pronostic des syndromes coronariens aigus. Absence de différence en fonction du sexe.

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) represent a continuum from unstable angina to non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. ACS is the preferred diagnostic term for non transmural myocardial infarction. The different forms of ACS share a common anatomic substrate consisting of atherosclerotic plaque rupture or erosion, with variable degrees of thrombus formation and compromised blood flow to viable myocardium. Patients with ACS have a heterogeneous profile of short- and mid-term adverse outcomes and require a tailored approach. Recent major advances in the management of ACS have emphasized the importance of earlier identification of higher-risk patients, whose outcome might be improved by aggressive revascularization. However, during the past several years, numerous studies have shown a significant difference in the prognosis of women and men with ACS. Some reports have concluded that women have a worse prognosis than men after thrombolytic therapy and/or coronary angioplasty with stenting for myocardial reperfusion. The aim of our retrospective study was to determine sex differences in outcomes after early percutaneous intervention (PCI) in high-risk patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). A total of 694 consecutive patients (151 women with 233 treated lesions and 543 men with 850 treated lesions) were included. Enrollments were limited to ACS patients judged to be at high risk [unstable angina/non ST-elevation myocardial infarction with recurrent ischemia/dynamic ST segment changes (53.6% vs 52.4%) or post-infarction unstable angina (46.4% vs 47.6%)] who underwent PCI within 24 hours of admission if the coronary anatomy was deemed suitable. The two groups were well matched for clinical and lesion characteristics, except that the women, as in other studies, were older (67.9 +/- 11.3 vs 62.3 +/- 12.3 years) and had a higher prevalence of hypertension. All the lesions were treated by stent implantation, and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors were used similarly in the two sexes (27.1% of women, 30.5% of men). The success rates were similar (94% and 93.7%), with a similar incidence of in-hospital MACE (4% vs 3.8%, p = 0.56). After a mean follow-up of 564 +/- 294 days, the two groups had similar rates of mortality (2% vs 3.2%), myocardial infarction (6.7% vs 7.1%) and repeated revascularization (7.2% vs 8.3%). The respective event-free survival rates were 88 +/- 60.3% and 83 +/- 0.3% at 1 year and 87% vs 78 +/- 0.2% at 2 years (p = 0.58). Previous studies have shown increased morbidity and mortality associated with recurrent ischemia and myocardial infarction in women after acute revascularization for ACS. Our study confirms that aggressive revascularization offers a comparable survival benefit in the two sexes. Women with ACS who are at high risk derive the same benefit as men from early angioplasty and coronary stenting of the culprit lesion, with satisfactory in-hospital and mid-term outcomes.

[Heart failure with preserved left ventricular function: clinical, echocardiographic, and clinical course features. Prognostic factors]. / L'insuffisance cardiaque à fonction ventriculaire systolique préservée: aspects cliniques, échocardiographiques et évolutifs. Facteurs du pronostic.

Heart failure is clinically associated with inadequate myocardial contraction, a significant reduction of left ventricular systolic function and ejection fraction and a cardiac enlargement. Some studies have reported that patients with symptomatic heart failure may have an impaired left ventricular filling with a normal or preserved left ventricular systolic function and an ejection fraction > 45%. These patients have a "diastolic heart failure" often neglected or misdiagnosed. The aims of our study is to describe clinical, echocardiographic and hemodynamic characteristics of 64 patients hospitalized for symptomatic heart failure, to determine possible variables with prognosis relevance, and for evaluating the severity of this diastolic left ventricular dysfunction. All patients were assessed by physical and radiographic examination, 12 leads electrocardiogram, and usual laboratory tests. The internal diameter of left atrium and left ventricular end diastolic and tele-systolic diameter were measured following the recommendations of the American Society of Echocardiography, Ejection fraction was determined following Simpson's method. Left ventricular filling patterns were evaluated by pulsed Doppler mitral or venous pulmonary flow. The following parameters were assessed: maximum velocity of E and A waves, E/A ratio, E wave deceleration time and isovolumic relaxation time. The patients were studied following Appleton's classification. 45 patients were submitted to left heart catheterization and coronary angiography. All subjects were routinely followed by cardiologic examinations and the mean follow up is 18 +/- 4, 5 months. 29 women (45.3%) and 35 men with a mean age of 72.5 +/- 3.2 years were included in this study. Left ventricular ejection fraction was in mean 48.5 +/- 4.2%. 65% of patients had ischemic cardiomyopathy with severe coronary stenosis > 50%, often associated with hypertension. 52% of patients had hypertensive heart disease and 38% were diabetics. 34 patients were re-hospitalized for recurrent heart failure despite medical treatment with diuretics, ACE inhibitors (90% of patients), beta-blockers, (37%) or nitrates (36%). 24 patients have been treated by coronary angioplasty. In hospital mortality was 6.2% and during the follow up at 18 months the mortality reaches 18.7%. The factors of poor prognosis are age > 75 years, left ventricular restrictive pattern at doppler diastolic trans mitral flow evaluation, (p < 0.001), history of myocardial infarction, and renal insufficiency defined by creatinemia > 150 micromoles (p = 0.002). In conclusion heart failure with preserved left systolic ventricular function is frequent in women with hypertensive heart disease. The prognosis at mean term is better that prognosis of patients with systolic dysfunction but despite medical treatment there is a high morbidity with numerous re hospitalizations. Restrictive left ventricular filling pattern is significantly related to the occurrence of events and mortality.