Heart failure & cardiomyopathies
Modification of the association between age and mortality in heart failure by frailty status
Authors' conclusion
Frailty alters mortality risk in HF beyond chronological age, resulting in prognostic heterogeneity regardless of age.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with new-onset heart failure (HF), Denmark, 2013–202224% <65, 41% 65–79, 35% ≥80 years
- Participants
- 79,193 patients
- Exposure
- Mortality and guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) use by age and frailty
- Outcome
- All-cause and CV mortality
- Follow-up
- Two years after HF diagnosis
Methodological detailsDanish nationwide registries
- Danish nationwide registries
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Two-year all-cause mortality at comparable risk by frailty and age · two years
| Group | Value | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Low frailty | 22.1% (95% CI 21.4–22.8) | 80 years |
| Intermediate frailty | 22.8% (95% CI 21.9–23.8) | 70 years |
| High frailty | 22.8% (95% CI 18.0–28.4) | 47 |
Value
Low frailty22.1% (95% CI 21.4–22.8)
Intermediate frailty22.8% (95% CI 21.9–23.8)
High frailty22.8% (95% CI 18.0–28.4)
Age
Low frailty80 years
Intermediate frailty70 years
High frailty47
- Frailty significantly modified the association between age and mortality
- interaction p<0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
CV mortality · two years
- Similar results as for all-cause mortality
GDMT use
- GDMT use lower in high than low frailty across all age groups
- Within each frailty group, age ≥80 years had lower odds of GDMT vs <65 (reference)
Original publication
Modification of the association between age and mortality in heart failure by frailty status. Eur J Heart Fail. Published 27 April 2026. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it