University of Glasgow

Academic Institute

John Cleland - Chief Investigator - University of GlasgowJocelyn Friday - Corresponding Applicant - University of GlasgowFraser Graham - Collaborator - University of GlasgowMaria Wolters - Collaborator - University of EdinburghPierpaolo Pellicori - Collaborator - University of Glasgow

CPRD854

More than one million people in the UK have heart failure, one of the most common reasons for hospitalisation, with a mortality rate similar to that of some of the worst cancers. Unfortunately, heart failure is often recognised only when it is so severe that the patient needs to be admitted to hospital. Earlier diagnosis of heart failure could lead to better treatment, improve quality of life, avoid hospital admissions, and possibly prolong life. A failing heart causes kidneys to retain salt and water, leading to a build-up of fluids, or “congestion”. Congestion decreases both heart and kidney function, leading to a decline in general health and increased chances of an early death. Congestion aggravates symptoms, such as breathless on exertion, and causes ankles to swell. These symptoms and signs are not specific for heart failure, are often poorly investigated, and are treated with strong water tablets called loop diuretics. We looked at routinely collected electronic from people living around Glasgow, and found that many more people are prescribed loop diuretics than are diagnosed with heart failure. We found that being prescribed loop diuretics is an indicator of poor health. Those who receive loop diuretics have an outlook similar to that of people diagnosed with heart failure. These findings suggest that many people prescribed a loop diuretic might actually have undiagnosed heart failure. We request to repeat this analysis in the CPRD dataset to see if we find the same results in people living across different areas of the UK.

This study has two parts, to:

16/02/2021

Release