Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is the clinical syndrome of heart failure associated with normal or near normal systolic function. Ppatients who have heart failure present with dyspnea, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea and exercise intolerance, regardless of a preserved or an impaired ejection fraction. Diastolic dysfunction is the most important pathophysiological mechanism ultimately leading diastolic heart failure. Abnormal cardiomyocyte sodium and calcium handling within myocytes has been proposed as a potential mechanism that contributes to diastolic dysfunction. Risk factors for diastolic dysfunction are older age, female sex, hypertension, ischemia, obesity and coronary artery disease. The rates of death and illness among these patients are high and have not declined, as they have in patients with heart failure and a low left ventricular ejection fraction. The objective of this study is to determine the frequency of diastolic heart failure and its common factors in patients with new onset heart failure. This study was conducted at Bolan Medical College / SPH, Department of Cardiology, Hospital, Quetta. Study design was descriptive cross sectional study and the duration of the study was one years (2012-2013). The total sample size was 205 using 7%12 proportion of heart failure among general population, 95% confidence interval and 3.5% margin of error under WHO sample size calculation. More over non probability purposive sampling technique was used for sample collection. All patients both male and female of age more than 20 years admitted to Cardiology Unit with signs and symptoms of heart failure were included while patients having prior history of diagnosed heart failure and on treatment, patients having prior history of coronary artery disease, patients with acute pericarditis, acute myocarditis and unstable angina were excluded. In this study 4% patients were in age range 40-50 years, 28% patients were in age range 51-60 years, 35% patients were in age range 61-70 years and 33% patients were in age range 71-80 years. Mean age was 65 years with SD ± 1.26. Forty five percent patients were male and 55% patients were female. The frequency of diastolic heart failure was 8% in patients with new onset heart failure in which 60% patients were female gender, 70% patients had hypertension, 11% patients had atrial fibrillation. Our study conclude that the incidence of diastolic heart failure was 8% in patients with new onset heart failure in which 60% patients were female gender, 70% patients had hypertension, 11% patients had atrial fibrillation. Which shows that hypertension and gender in onset of diastolic heart failure was found to be an independent predictor of mortality.
