Methamphetamine related heart failure: rising prevalence, distinct phenotype

From the AHA meeting abstracts:

Hypothesis: We hypothesized that in a VA population over a 15 year period, we would observe a rising prevalence of MethHF in admitted patients, along with a unique phenotype.

Methods: Among 9588 patients with diagnosis of heart failure treated at San Diego VA Medical Center in between 2005-2015, 480 were identified to have history of methamphetamine abuse as determined by ICD-9 diagnosis code and/or urine toxicology screen as well as a diagnosis code of heart failure. Demographic, diagnostic, and clinical characteristics of MethHF and heart failure patients without methamphetamine use (HF) were compared. ..

Results: From 2005-2015, the prevalence of methamphetamine usage among patients with heart failure increased linearly (Figure 1). A preliminary cohort comparison demonstrated MethHF had similar ejection fraction and BNP levels but trends toward increased troponin levels, more atrial fibrillation, and a higher GFR. MethHF patients had a greater risk of ER visits (2.3 per year vs 0.5 per year, p=0.01) and a trend towards a greater risk of all-cause hospital readmission...