Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesCohort study
Effect of age on 5-year excess mortality in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
- Matched cohort study
- sex- and age-matched general population controls (up to 5 per patient)
Authors' conclusion
HFrEF was associated with excess mortality across all age groups. Younger HFrEF patients had similar 5-year mortality as general population controls who were more than 20 years older.
Study context
- Population
- Patients aged 40 to 85 years with LVEF ≤40% undergoing coronary angiography for suspected cardiomyopathy, Western Denmark, 2010–2021
- Participants
- 5,425 vs 27,087
- Exposure
- Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) vs matched general population controls, by age group
- HFrEFn = 5,425
- Controlsn = 27,087reference
- Outcome
- Excess mortality (mortality risk differences and hazard ratios (HRs)) across age groups
- Follow-up
- 5 years
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
5-year excess mortality by age
HFrEF vs ControlsRisk difference (95% CI)
age 40 to 49 years (lowest)
6.8%(4.0–9.7)
age 65 to 69 years (highest)
17.0%(13.8–20.2)
HFrEF vs ControlsHazard ratio (95% CI)
age 40 to 49 years (highest relative risk; declined with increasing age)
6.41(3.73–11.05)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Effect of age on 5-year excess mortality in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Eur J Heart Fail. Published 26 March 2026. doi:10.1093/ejhf/xuag098
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it