Background The frequency of heart failure (HF) in Tunisia is on the rise and has now become a public health concern. This is mainly due to an aging Tunisian population (Tunisia has one of the oldest populations in Africa as well as the highest life expectancy in the continent) and an increase in coronary artery disease and hypertension. However, no extensive data are available on demographic characteristics, prognosis, and quality of care of patients with HF in Tunisia (nor in North Africa). Objective The aim of this study was to analyze, follow, and evaluate patients with HF in a large nation-wide multicenter trial. Methods A total of 1700 patients with HF diagnosed by the investigator will be included in the National Tunisian Registry of Heart Failure study (NATURE-HF). Patients must visit the cardiology clinic 1, 3, and 12 months after study inclusion. This follow-up is provided by the investigator. All data are collected via the DACIMA Clinical Suite web interface. Results At the end of the study, we will note the occurrence of cardiovascular death (sudden death, coronary artery disease, refractory HF, stroke), death from any cause (cardiovascular and noncardiovascular), and the occurrence of a rehospitalization episode for an HF relapse during the follow-up period. Based on these data, we will evaluate the demographic characteristics of the study patients, the characteristics of pathological antecedents, and symptomatic and clinical features of HF. In addition, we will report the paraclinical examination findings such as the laboratory standard parameters and brain natriuretic peptides, electrocardiogram or 24-hour Holter monitoring, echocardiography, and coronarography. We will also provide a description of the therapeutic environment and therapeutic changes that occur during the 1-year follow-up of patients, adverse events following medical treatment and intervention during the 3- and 12-month follow-up, the evaluation of left ventricular ejection fraction during the 3- and 12-month follow-up, the overall rate of rehospitalization over the 1-year follow-up for an HF relapse, and the rate of rehospitalization during the first 3 months after inclusion into the study. Conclusions The NATURE-HF study will fill a significant gap in the dynamic landscape of HF care and research. It will provide unique and necessary data on the management and outcomes of patients with HF. This study will yield the largest contemporary longitudinal cohort of patients with HF in Tunisia. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03262675; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03262675 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/12262

Objective:The increasing prevalence and poor prognosis associated with chronic heart failure (CHF) have made the improvement of quality of life (QoL) one of the main goals in the treatment of CHF patients. The aim of the study was to assess if hypertension was associated with QoL in a sample of patients ospitalised with HF.Design and method:In this prospective study, we evaluated patients with CHF attending the cardiology department of Habib Thameur University Hospital in a four-month period. Echocardiography was performed and patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 45% or less were selected. QoL assessment was performed with a disease-specific instrument: the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) in a sample of 100 selected patients.Results:In the total sample (n = 100), mean age was 62.7 years. The majority were male (77%), married (76%), with a mean of 2.5 comorbidities, and in a New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III to IV (61%). Mean LVEF was 36%. Half of the patients had poor QoL on the total MLHFQ scale (median = 41,5) as well as on its physical (median = 17,5) and emotional (median = 11,25) domains. In univariate analysis, a history of hypertension was a factor of poor quality of life with a calculated odds ratio of 2.263, its presence alters the total score by approximately 14 points (p = 0.045), the physical score by approximately 11 points (p = 0.009) and the emotional by seven points (p = 0.005).In multivariate analysis, hypertension was not associated with poor Qol.Conclusions:This study has found that hypertension was a factor of poor quality of life among patients with heart failure in univariate analysis.

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