Characteristics of Patients Hospitalized With Methamphetamine-Associated Heart Failure: A Comparative Study of Enrolled vs Nonenrolled Patients.

Abstract

Background: Methamphetamine-associated heart failure (MethHF) carries devastating individual and societal consequences; however, our understanding of this condition is limited.

Objective: The objective of this study is to compare the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients hospitalized with MethHF with patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF) not associated with methamphetamine (non-MethHF).

Methods: This was an analysis of screening data from MethHF patients who screened out of the Biological and Physiological Mechanisms of Symptom Clusters in Heart Failure study and a subset of non-MethHF patients enrolled in the study. Descriptive and comparative statistics were used.

Results: Patients hospitalized with MethHF (n = 99), compared with non-MethHF (n = 87), were significantly younger, more often male, more likely from urban areas, and had higher rates of prior emergency room usage. Patients with MethHF also had more nonischemic etiologies and reduced ejection fraction. Nearly a third of patients with MethHF also had a new diagnosis of HF.

Conclusions: There are a few notable differences in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics between patients hospitalized with MethHF versus non-MethHF.