@article{GerhardtKordsmeyerSehneretal.2023,
  author    = {Gerhardt, Louisa M. S. and Kordsmeyer, Maren and Sehner, Susanne and G{\"u}der, G{\"u}lmisal and St{\"o}rk, Stefan and Edelmann, Frank and Wachter, Rolf and Pankuweit, Sabine and Prettin, Christiane and Ertl, Georg and Wanner, Christoph and Angermann, Christiane E.},
  title     = {Prevalence and prognostic impact of chronic kidney disease and anaemia across ACC/AHA precursor and symptomatic heart failure stages},
  series = {Clinical Research in Cardiology},
  volume    = {112},
  journal   = {Clinical Research in Cardiology},
  number    = {7},
  doi       = {10.1007/s00392-022-02027-w},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-323990},
  pages     = {868-879},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Background The importance of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and anaemia has not been comprehensively studied in asymptomatic patients at risk for heart failure (HF) versus those with symptomatic HF. We analysed the prevalence, characteristics and prognostic impact of both conditions across American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) precursor and HF stages A-D. Methods and results 2496 participants from three non-pharmacological German Competence Network HF studies were categorized by ACC/AHA stage; stage C patients were subdivided into C1 and C2 (corresponding to NYHA classes I/II and III, respectively). Overall, patient distribution was 8.1\%/35.3\%/32.9\% and 23.7\% in ACC/AHA stages A/B/C1 and C2/D, respectively. These subgroups were stratified by the absence ( - ) or presence ( +) of CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] < 60 mL/min/1.73m2) and anaemia (haemoglobin in women/men < 12/ < 13 g/dL). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality at 5-year follow-up. Prevalence increased across stages A/B/C1 and C2/D (CKD: 22.3\%/23.6\%/31.6\%/54.7\%; anaemia: 3.0\%/7.9\%/21.7\%/33.2\%, respectively), with concordant decreases in median eGFR and haemoglobin (all p < 0.001). Across all stages, hazard ratios [95\% confidence intervals] for all-cause mortality were 2.1 [1.8-2.6] for CKD + , 1.7 [1.4-2.0] for anaemia, and 3.6 [2.9-4.6] for CKD + /anaemia + (all p < 0.001). Population attributable fractions (PAFs) for 5-year mortality related to CKD and/or anaemia were similar across stages A/B, C1 and C2/D (up to 33.4\%, 30.8\% and 34.7\%, respectively). Conclusions Prevalence and severity of CKD and anaemia increased across ACC/AHA stages. Both conditions were individually and additively associated with increased 5-year mortality risk, with similar PAFs in asymptomatic patients and those with symptomatic HF.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KerwagenRiemerWachteretal.2023,
  author    = {Kerwagen, Fabian and Riemer, Uwe and Wachter, Rolf and von Haehling, Stephan and Abdin, Amr and B{\"o}hm, Michael and Schulz, Martin and St{\"o}rk, Stefan},
  title     = {Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on implementation of novel guideline-directed medical therapies for heart failure in Germany: a nationwide retrospective analysis},
  series = {The Lancet Regional Health - Europe},
  volume    = {35},
  journal   = {The Lancet Regional Health - Europe},
  issn      = {2666-7762},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100778},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-350510},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Background Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) is the cornerstone in the treatment of patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and novel substances such as sacubitril/valsartan (S/V) and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have demonstrated marked clinical benefits. We investigated their implementation into real-world HF care in Germany before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods The IQVIA LRx data set is based on ∼80\% of 73 million people covered by the German statutory health insurance. Prescriptions of S/V were used as a proxy for HFrEF. Time trends were analysed between Q1/2016 and Q2/2023 for prescriptions for S/V alone and in combination therapy with SGLT2i. Findings The number of patients treated with S/V increased from 5260 in Q1/2016 to 351,262 in Q2/2023. The share of patients with combination therapy grew from 0.6\% (29 of 5260) to 14.2\% (31,128 of 219,762) in Q2/2021, and then showed a steep surge up to 54.8\% (192,429 of 351,262) in Q2/2023, coinciding with the release of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for HF in Q3/2021. Women and patients aged >80 years were treated less often with combined therapy than men and younger patients. With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of patients with new S/V prescriptions dropped by 17.5\% within one quarter, i.e., from 26,855 in Q1/2020 to 22,145 in Q2/2020, and returned to pre-pandemic levels only in Q1/2021. Interpretation The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a 12-month deceleration of S/V uptake in Germany. Following the release of the ESC HF guidelines, the combined prescription of S/V and SGLT2i was readily adopted. Further efforts are needed to fully implement GDMT and strengthen the resilience of healthcare systems during public health crises.},
  language  = {en}
}