@article {802, title = {Survival associated with two sets of diagnostic criteria for congestive heart failure.}, journal = {Am J Epidemiol}, volume = {160}, year = {2004}, month = {2004 Oct 01}, pages = {628-35}, abstract = {

Congestive heart failure (CHF) definitions vary across epidemiologic studies. The Framingham Heart Study criteria include CHF signs and symptoms assessed by a physician panel. In the Cardiovascular Health Study, a committee of physicians adjudicated CHF diagnoses, confirmed by signs, symptoms, clinical tests, and/or medical therapy. The authors used data from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a population-based cohort study of 5,888 elderly US adults, to compare CHF incidence and survival patterns following onset of CHF as defined by Framingham and/or Cardiovascular Health Study criteria. They constructed an inception cohort of nonfatal, hospitalized CHF patients. Of 875 participants who had qualifying CHF hospitalizations between 1989 and 2000, 54\% experienced a first CHF event that fulfilled both sets of diagnostic criteria (concordant), 31\% fulfilled only the Framingham criteria (Framingham only), and 15\% fulfilled only the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria (Cardiovascular Health Study only). No significant survival difference was found between the Framingham-only group (hazard ratio = 0.87, 95\% confidence interval: 0.71, 1.07) or the Cardiovascular Health Study-only group (hazard ratio = 0.89, 95\% confidence interval: 0.68, 1.15) and the concordant group (referent). Compared with Cardiovascular Health Study central adjudication, Framingham criteria for CHF identified a larger group of participants with incident CHF, but all-cause mortality rates were similar across these diagnostic classifications.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cohort Studies, Diagnosis, Differential, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Heart Failure, Humans, Incidence, Male, Prognosis, Severity of Illness Index, Survival Analysis}, issn = {0002-9262}, doi = {10.1093/aje/kwh268}, author = {Schellenbaum, Gina D and Rea, Thomas D and Heckbert, Susan R and Smith, Nicholas L and Lumley, Thomas and Roger, Veronique L and Kitzman, Dalane W and Taylor, Herman A and Levy, Daniel and Psaty, Bruce M} } @article {868, title = {Weight loss, muscle strength, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in older adults with congestive heart failure or hypertension.}, journal = {J Am Geriatr Soc}, volume = {53}, year = {2005}, month = {2005 Nov}, pages = {1996-2000}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor use may be associated with weight maintenance and sustained muscle strength (measured by grip strength) in older adults.

DESIGN: Data from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a community-based prospective cohort study of 5,888 older adults, were used.

SETTING: Subjects were recruited from four U.S. sites beginning in 1989; this analysis included data through 2001.

PARTICIPANTS: CHS participants with congestive heart failure (CHF) or treated hypertension.

MEASUREMENTS: The exposure, current ACE inhibitor use, was ascertained by medication inventory at annual clinic visits; the outcomes were weight change and grip-strength change during the following year. Multivariate linear regression was used, accounting for correlations between observations on the same participant over time.

RESULTS: The average annual weight change was -0.38 kg in 2,834 participants (14,443 person-years) with treated hypertension and -0.62 kg in 342 participants (980 person-years) with CHF. ACE inhibitor use was associated with less annual weight loss after adjustment for potential confounders: a difference of 0.17 kg (95\% confidence interval (CI)=0.05-0.29) in those with treated hypertension and 0.29 kg (95\% CI=-0.25-0.83) in those with CHF. There was no evidence of association between ACE inhibitor use and grip-strength change.

CONCLUSION: ACE inhibitor use may be associated with weight maintenance, but not maintenance of muscle strength, in older adults with treated hypertension.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors, Female, Hand Strength, Heart Failure, Humans, Hypertension, Male, Multivariate Analysis, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Prospective Studies, Statistics as Topic, United States, Weight Loss}, issn = {0002-8614}, doi = {10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53568.x}, author = {Schellenbaum, Gina D and Smith, Nicholas L and Heckbert, Susan R and Lumley, Thomas and Rea, Thomas D and Furberg, Curt D and Lyles, Mary F and Psaty, Bruce M} } @article {844, title = {Congestive heart failure incidence and prognosis: case identification using central adjudication versus hospital discharge diagnoses.}, journal = {Ann Epidemiol}, volume = {16}, year = {2006}, month = {2006 Feb}, pages = {115-22}, abstract = {

PURPOSE: We compared hospitalized congestive heart failure (CHF) incidence and prognosis estimates using hospital discharge diagnoses or central adjudication.

METHODS: We used the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a population-based cohort study of 5888 elderly adults. A physician committee adjudicated potential CHF events, confirmed by signs, symptoms, clinical tests, and/or medical therapy. A CHF discharge diagnosis included any of these ICD-9 codes in any position: 428, 425, 398.91, 402.01, 402.11, 402.91, and 997.1. We constructed an inception cohort of 1209 hospitalized, nonfatal, incident CHF cases, identified by discharge diagnosis, adjudication, or both.

RESULTS: Incidence rates for hospitalized CHF were 24.6 per 1000 person-years using discharge diagnoses and 17.1 per 1000 person-years using central adjudication. Compared to the group identified as having CHF by both methods, the group with only a discharge diagnosis (hazard ratio=0.77, 95\% confidence interval=0.65-0.91) and the group with central adjudication only (hazard ratio=0.72, 95\% confidence interval=0.55-0.94) had lower mortality rates.

CONCLUSIONS: In the elderly, studies using only discharge diagnoses, as compared to central adjudication, may estimate higher rates of incident hospitalized CHF. Mortality following CHF onset may be similar for these methods and higher if both methods are used together.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cohort Studies, Female, Heart Failure, Humans, Incidence, Male, Patient Discharge, Prognosis}, issn = {1047-2797}, doi = {10.1016/j.annepidem.2005.02.012}, author = {Schellenbaum, Gina D and Heckbert, Susan R and Smith, Nicholas L and Rea, Thomas D and Lumley, Thomas and Kitzman, Dalane W and Roger, Veronique L and Taylor, Herman A and Psaty, Bruce M} }