Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a complex pathology that has undergone a paradigm shift in the last few years. As technology develops and diagnosis algorithms become more refined, early diagnosis leads to prompt medical management. This management has also changed in recent years. Moreover, HFpEF phenotyping attempts further nuance the management of patients with this disease. Whereas guidelines are not so firm on the medical classes of drugs that should be employed in HFpEF compared to HFrEF, new trials are on the way to change this. This literature review focuses on the evolution of diagnosis criteria for HFpEF, the clinical scores proposed by current guidelines, and also on the medical management of this pathology, focusing on medical management and how it has changed recently, by highlighting landmark trials that have been published on the topic or that are going to be published on the topic.
Heart failure is the final stage of evolution of a large number of cardiovascular diseases and represents a health problem worldwide, due to increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. The patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) represent about a half of the patients with heart failure and the prevalence of HFpEF is on the rise. HFpEF is mainly a disease of the elderly patients, who have numerous cardiovascular diseases – hypertension, myocardial ischaemia, atrial fibrillation, valvular disease, and also non-cardiovascular comorbidities, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and obstructive sleep apnoea. HFpEF is more prevalent in women than in men, but women have a better prognosis than men. The pathophysiological changes that appear in HFpEF are: ventricular stiffening, cardiomyocite hypertrophy and hypercontractility, myocardial fibrosis and inflammation, which lead to abnormal diastolic function with delayed relaxation and inappropriate filling, in the presence of a normal systolic function of the left ventricle. The diagnosis of HFpEF is based on clinical, echocardiographic and biological criteria. In contrast to HFrEF, there is no effective treatment for HFpEF. The treatment of HFpEF includes diuretics for clinical improvement and treatment of comorbidities. The prognosis of patients with HFpEF is similar with those with HFrEF. Currently, the main objectives of the treatment in patients with HFpEF are to improve clinical status and decrease hospitalizations. Further studies are needed to establish an effective treatment to increase survival in these patients. Therefore, HFpEF continues to be a challenge for clinicians regarding the optimal therapy..
