Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesCross-sectional study
Heart failure in the Portuguese population aged ≥50 years: prevalence and phenotypes in the PORTHOS study
- Cross-sectional study
- population-based
- two-stage design
Authors' conclusion
HF affects approximately one in six Portuguese adults aged ≥50 years, with HFpEF accounting for over 90% of cases, most previously undiagnosed.
Study context
- Population
- Community-dwelling adults aged ≥50 years in mainland Portugal1,136 diagnosed with heart failure (HF)
- Participants
- 6,189 adults
- Outcome
- Prevalence and phenotypic distribution of HF
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
HF prevalence
- Estimated HF prevalence
- 16.54%
- HF prevalence, 50-59 years
- 4.01%
- HF prevalence, ≥70 years
- 30.68%
- HF prevalence, females
- 21.00%
- HF prevalence, males
- 10.47%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
HF phenotype and prior diagnosis
- HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) among HF
- 93.4%
- Previously undiagnosed
- 90%
Factors associated with HFpEF
- HFpEF independently associated with older age, female sex, T2DM, AF and dyslipidaemia
Original publication
Heart failure in the Portuguese population aged ≥50 years: prevalence and phenotypes in the PORTHOS study. Eur Heart J. Published 5 February 2026. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehag030
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it