Toward a Universal Definition of Etiologies in Heart Failure: Categorizing Causes and Advancing Registry Science

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Clinical Registries

Background:

• Heart failure (HF) is a common endpoint for many diseases, but understanding and tracking its underlying causes (etiologies) is challenging.
• Current HF registries exhibit overlap in how they define etiologies, comorbidities, and cases, leading to confusion.
• Standardizing the description and study of HF etiologies is crucial for effective management and research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the overlap in HF etiologies, comorbidities, and case definitions within global HF registries.
• To propose strategies for enhancing the quality of evidence regarding HF etiologies and modifiable risk factors in registries.
• To explore the potential of clinical HF registries for public health surveillance, implementation research, and clinical trials.

Main Methods:

• Review and analysis of current practices in HF registries managed by the global HF roundtable.
• Identification of commonalities and discrepancies in HF etiology and comorbidity definitions.
• Exploration of registry data for public health applications and research.

Main Results:

• Significant overlap and confusion exist in the current definitions and tracking of HF etiologies across registries.
• Strategies are needed to improve data quality and standardization for better evidence generation.
• Clinical HF registries offer untapped potential for broader public health initiatives.

Conclusions:

• Standardizing HF etiology definitions and improving data quality in global registries are essential.
• Enhanced HF registries can serve as powerful platforms for surveillance and research.
• International collaboration and investment in HF registries can significantly reduce the global burden of noncommunicable diseases.