Open Science Journal of Clinical Medicine 2014; 2(1): 39-43 Published online February 28, 2014 (http://www.openscienceonline.com/journal/osjcm) Hypertensive heart failure in Kumasi, Ghana Isaac Kofi Owusu 1, 2 , Yaw Adu-Boakye 2 , Lambert Appiah Tetteh 2 1 Department of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana 2 Department of Medicine, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana Email address ikeowusu@yahoo.com (I. K. Owusu) To cite this article Isaac Kofi Owusu, Yaw Adu-Boakye, Lambert Appiah Tetteh. Hypertensive Heart Failure in Kumasi, Ghana, Open Science Journal of Clinical Medicine. Vol. 2, No. 1, 2014, pp. 39-43 Abstract Hypertension has become a major public health issue worldwide, and it has been found to be the most common cause of heart failure in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. This was an observational study designed to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of hypertensive heart failure patients seen at the department of medicine, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana. Medical records of 180 hypertensive heart failure patients were selected using simple random sampling. The baseline demographic, clinical, chest X-ray, electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic characteristics of the patients were examined. One hundred and eighty (180) hypertensive heart failure were studied. They were aged between 24 - 88 years with the mean age (± SD) of 63.59 (±18.12) years. There were more females (52.22%; n=94) than males (47.78%; n=86). The mean systolic blood pressure (± SD) and the mean diastolic blood pressure (± SD) were 162.42 (± 32.18) and 92.29 (±18.54) respectively. The pulse rate ranged between 43-168 beats/minute with the mean pulse rate (± SD) of 85.24 (± 20.71) beats/minute. Most (46 %) of the patients presented with NYHA functional class 4. The most common presenting complaint was shortness of breath (72.22%), followed by easy fatiguability (50%), and palpitation (43.89%). The main clinical signs were pulmonary oedema (80%) and displaced apex beat (67.78%). Chest X-ray showed cardiomegaly in 71.11% of the patients. ECG LVH and echocardiographic LVH were seen in 75.56 % and 83.33% of the patients respectively. Prevalence of heart failure with preserve ejection fraction (HFPEF) was 62.22 %. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction with or with diastolic dysfunction was seen in 37.78 % of the patients. In conclusion, the most common clinical presentation of patients seen at KATH, Kumasi, with hypertensive heart failure were shortness of breath, easy fatiguability, pulmonary oedema and displaced apex beat. The prevalence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) among the patients was high. Keywords Hypertension, Heart Failure, Prevalence, Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, Ghana 1. Introduction Hypertension has become a major public health issue worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, morbidity and mortality of hypertensive related conditions has reached epidemic levels in recent years. [1-4]. It has been estimated that hypertension associated morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa may rise to 20% by the year 2020 [5]. Hypertension is the most common cause of heart failure in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa [4, 6-10], and hypertension has been reported to account for up to 30 % of hospital admissions for heart failure in West Africa [11]. Hypertension is also a powerful independent risk factor for death from heart disease [12]. The prognosis of hypertensive heart failure among Black Africans has also been found to be poor [13]. There is evidence from large population-based studies of an increased tendency to left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive blacks, independent of body composition [14]. Hypertension may also result in interstitial fibrosis [15]. Both factors contribute to an increase in left ventricle stiffness, resulting in diastolic dysfunction and an elevation