Marital status impact on the outcomes of patients admitted for acute decompensation of heart failure: A retrospective, single-center, analysis

BackgroundConflicting evidence exists regarding the association between marital status and outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). Further, it is not clear whether type of unmarried status (never married, divorced, or widowed) disparities exist in this context. HypothesisWe hypothesized that marital status will be associated with better outcomes in patients with HF. MethodsThis single-center retrospective study utilized a cohort of 7457 patients admitted with acute decompensated HF (ADHF) between 2007 and 2017. We compared baseline characteristics, clinical indices, and outcomes of these patients grouped by their marital status. Cox regression analysis was used to explore the independency of the association between marital status and long-term outcomes. ResultsMarried patients accounted for 52% of the population while 37%, 9%, and 2% were widowed, divorced, and never married, respectively. Unmarried patients were older (79.8 +/- 11.5 vs. 74.8 +/- 11.1 years; p < 0.001), more frequently women (71.4% vs. 33.2%; p < 0.001), and less likely to have traditional cardiovascular comorbidities. Compared with married patients, all-cause mortality incidence was higher in unmarried patients at 30 days (14.7% vs. 11.1%, p < 0.001), 1 year, and 5 years (72.9% vs. 68.4%, p < 0.001). Nonadjusted Kaplan-Meier estimates for 5-year all-cause mortality by sex, demonstrated the best prognosis for married women, and by marital status in unmarried patients, the best prognosis was demonstrated in divorced patients while the worst was recorded in widowed patients. After adjustment for covariates, marital status was not found to be independently associated with ADHF outcomes. ConclusionsMarital status is not independently associated with outcomes of patients admitted for ADHF. Efforts for outcomes improvement should focus on other, more traditional risk factors.

Automated summary

This study investigates the association between marital status and outcomes in patients with heart failure. The results show that there is no independent association between marital status and outcomes in patients admitted for acute decompensated heart failure. Efforts for improving outcomes should focus on other traditional risk factors.