Prevalence and Long-Term Prognostic Significance of Advanced Diastolic Dysfunction Among Hospitalized Patients Referred for Echocardiography

Background/Objectives: Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is associated with unfavorable outcomes, and though it is recognized as an important clinical diagnosis, specific quantification and effective management continue to challenge clinicians, representing an unmet need in modern cardiology. Advanced LVDD diagnosis is likely to have a prognostic role among hospitalized patients. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and predictors of advanced LVDD among hospitalized patients and its long-term (5-year) prognostic significance on all-cause mortality. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of consecutive, non-selected hospitalized patients referred for echocardiography at a tertiary care medical center from October 2013 to February 2024. Diastolic function was classified into normal/LVDD grade I vs. advanced LVDD (grades II and III). Results: A total of 5926 participants were included in the analysis, of whom 3229 (54%) were men, with a mean age of 66 ± 2 years. These included 4779 (81%) patients with normal/LVDD grade I and 1147 (19%) with advanced LVDD. Compared to patients with normal/LVDD grade I, those with advanced LVDD were older, were more likely to be men, and had a higher burden of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation/flutter and renal failure, abnormal laboratory findings, worse echocardiogram parameters, and longer hospital stay. Multivariate analysis revealed that advanced LVDD was independently associated with increasing age, the male sex, significant aortic stenosis, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation. Patients with advanced LVDD vs. normal/LVDD grade I had higher 5-year all-cause mortality rates (p_log-rank < 0.001). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model revealed that advanced LVDD was associated with a 24% increase in the 5-year mortality rate (HR = 1.236, 95% CI of 1.008–1.517, p = 0.042). Conclusions: Among hospitalized patients referred for echocardiography, the prevalence of advanced LVDD was 19%, and it was independently associated with age, the male sex and the presence of multiple comorbidities. Moreover, advanced LVDD was identified as an independent predictor of long-term all-cause mortality. Advanced LVDD should be proactively diagnosed among admitted patients at risk for early therapy tailoring.