Abstract
Heart failure continues to be a major health problem in the community. Nearly half
the patients suffering from signs and symptoms of heart failure have a preserved left
ventricular function but an evidence of diastolic dysfunction. Over the past decades
the relative proportion of patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction
(HFpEF) was continuously increasing which may reflect the change in the composite
of risk factors in the ageing population. Comparable to heart failure with reduced
ejection fraction (HFrEF), patients with HFpEF are characterised by a considerable
morbidity and mortality. The recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology
(ESC) on how to diagnose heart failure with normal or preserved ejection fraction
allow diagnosing this highly relevant disease in a standardised manner. Because large
clinical trials failed to show a prognostic benefit of approaches with proven efficiency
in HFrEF, no evidence-based therapy is established in this condition. To improve the
appreciation of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, this article reviews
the current epidemiologic, pathophysiologic, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of
this highly relevant disease.
