Left ventricular dysfunction is common but difficult to detect

Left ventricular cardiac dysfunction is a common cause of morbidity and death. Early treatment improves outcome but, surprisingly, the prevalence of the condition in elderly patients attending general practice has not been reported. On p 368 Morgan et al show that in the 70-84 year age group 7.5% of the population has some degree of left ventricular dysfunction. In many of the less severe cases this is not recognised, in part because clinical history and examination alone have limited diagnostic sensitivity.


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Relevant Article

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of left ventricular dysfunction among elderly patients in general practice setting: cross sectional survey
S Morgan, H Smith, I Simpson, G S Liddiard, H Raphael, R M Pickering, and D Mant
BMJ 1999 318: 368-372. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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