Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of Clinical Cardiology, 46(8), 914–921. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.24053 Dr. Gil Marcus et al.
Points
- A retrospective study of 7457 patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) investigated the association between marital status and patient outcomes.
- Marital status distributions in the study population showed that 52% were married, 37% were widowed, 9% were divorced, and 2% never married.
- Unmarried patients were typically older and more often female, with a lower prevalence of traditional cardiovascular comorbidities compared to their married counterparts.
- All-cause mortality rates were higher in unmarried patients at 30 days, one year, and five years, but after adjusting for covariates, marital status was not independently associated with ADHF outcomes.
- The study suggests efforts to improve ADHF patient outcomes should focus on traditional risk factors rather than marital status.
Summary
In this single-center retrospective study, the distribution of marital statuses among the 7457 patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) between 2007 and 2017 is noteworthy. Of the patient cohort, 52% were married, 37% were widowed, 9% were divorced, and 2% had never been married. This demographic information sheds light on the composition of the study population and the various marital statuses under investigation.
Furthermore, the study uncovered differences in baseline characteristics between married and unmarried patients. Unmarried patients, on average, were older, with an age of 79.8 years (±11.5) compared to the average age of married patients, 74.8 years (±11.1). Additionally, the unmarried group was predominantly composed of women, accounting for 71.4% of unmarried patients, compared to only 33.2% in the married group. These differences in age and gender distribution provide valuable insights into the demographic variations among the patient groups.
Regarding clinical outcomes, the data demonstrated higher all-cause mortality rates among unmarried patients at various time intervals. For instance, the 30-day all-cause mortality incidence was 14.7% in unmarried patients compared to 11.1% in married patients. Similarly, the 1-year and 5-year all-cause mortality rates were higher in unmarried patients at 72.9% and 68.4%, respectively, in contrast to the rates observed in married patients. These statistics emphasize the disparity in outcomes between the two groups, which was a focal point of the study.
Despite these differences, when the researchers adjusted for covariates, the study ultimately concluded that marital status was not independently associated with ADHF outcomes. This means that the initial disparities in outcomes based on marital status became less pronounced when other relevant factors were considered. These additional data points reinforce the study’s main finding that marital status, though initially linked to patient outcomes, was not an independent predictor of ADHF outcomes.
Link to the article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/clc.24053
References Marcus, G., Kofman, N., Maymon, S. L., Asher, E., Loberman, D., Pereg, D., Fuchs, S., & Minha, S. (2023). Marital status impact on the outcomes of patients admitted for acute decompensation of heart failure: A retrospective, single-center, analysis. Clinical Cardiology, 46(8), 914–921. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.24053
