Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesCohort study
Socioeconomic deprivation and post-discharge mortality in heart failure: evidence from a nationwide universal health coverage system
- retrospective cohort study
Authors' conclusion
In a country with universal healthcare, area-level socioeconomic deprivation was modestly associated with higher mortality after HF hospitalization, but not with readmission risk. Society-level income inequality showed no relationship with either outcome.
Study context
- Population
- All adults hospitalized for worsening heart failure (HF) in France in 2018, national health insurance databasepatients (median age 82 years, 50.5% female)
- Participants
- 92,111 adults
- Exposure
- Area-level socioeconomic disadvantage quintiles and income inequality (Gini index) and the outcomes of all-cause mortality and HF readmission
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Readmission and death · within 1 year
readmitted
29.7%
died
25.9%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | HR (CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-cause mortality (adjusted) · 1 year · adjusted | 1.11 (1.07–1.16) | P < 0.001 | |
| All-cause mortality (adjusted) · 2 years · adjusted | 1.11 (1.07–1.15) | P < 0.001 | |
| 0.512Hazard ratio (log scale) |
One-year mortality by deprivation level
- HR ranging from
- 1.03 to 1.06
- not consistently across all quintiles
HF readmission by socioeconomic deprivation
- not significantly associated with readmission risk
Gini index and mortality or readmission
- no association with either mortality or readmission
Original publication
Socioeconomic deprivation and post-discharge mortality in heart failure: evidence from a nationwide universal health coverage system. Eur Heart J Qual Care Clin Outcomes. Published 23 March 2026. doi:10.1093/ehjqcco/qcag008
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it