Table 1. Characteristics of the Department of Veterans Affairs Cohort of 265 714 Patients With Chronic Heart Failurea.
| Characteristic | No. (%)b |
|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), y | 74 (10) |
| Male | 261 132 (98.3) |
| Racec | |
| White | 224 353 (84.4) |
| Black, Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, or Alaskan Native | 41 110 (15.5) |
| Unknown | 251 (0.1) |
| Date entering cohortd | |
| April 1, 2010, to September 30, 2010 | 154 368 (58.1) |
| October 1, 2010, to September 30, 2011 | 43 928 (17.5) |
| October 1, 2011, to September 30, 2012 | 32 799 (12.3) |
| October 1, 2012, to September 30, 2013 | 28 248 (10.6) |
| October 1, 2013, to December 31, 2013e | 6371 (2.4) |
| Clinical comorbidities | |
| Hypertension | 230 073 (86.6) |
| Coronary artery disease without recent myocardial infarction | 144 705 (54.5) |
| Diabetes without chronic complications | 118 012 (44.4) |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 102 542 (38.6) |
| Deficiency anemias | 77 054 (29.0) |
| Chronic kidney disease | 76 927 (29.0) |
| Fluid and electrolyte disorders | 60 032 (22.6) |
| Obesity | 57 083 (21.5) |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 56 318 (21.2) |
| Diabetes with chronic complications | 54 501 (20.5) |
| Depression | 48 686 (18.3) |
| Valvular heart disease | 37 287 (14.0) |
| Solid tumor without metastasis | 35 433 (13.3) |
| Hypothyroidism | 32 809 (12.3) |
| Other neurological disorders | 29 504 (11.1) |
| Dementia | 24 211 (9.1) |
| Cerebrovascular disease without recent stroke | 20 006 (7.5) |
| Pulmonary circulation disorders | 19 720 (7.4) |
| Coagulation disorders | 17 976 (6.8) |
| Alcohol abuse | 16 557 (6.2) |
| Weight loss | 14 865 (5.6) |
| Chronic liver disease | 9898 (3.7) |
| Drug abuse | 8181 (3.1) |
| Paralysis | 7507 (2.8) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis or collagen vascular disease | 6946 (2.6) |
| Dialysis | 5497 (2.1) |
| Metastatic cancer | 4194 (1.6) |
| Lymphoma | 3783 (1.4) |
| Blood loss anemia | 3108 (1.2) |
| HIV/AIDS | 866 (0.3) |
| Peptic ulcer disease with bleeding | 192 (0.1) |
| Medical or surgical events during the 6 mo prior to cohort entry | |
| Stroke | 13 227 (5.0) |
| Acute myocardial infarction or acute coronary syndrome | 11 380 (4.3) |
| Pneumonia | 3103 (1.2) |
| Percutaneous coronary intervention | 2926 (1.1) |
| Coronary artery bypass grafting | 1524 (0.6) |
a
Clinical characteristics on the date of cohort entry.
b
Percentages may not sum to 100% owing to rounding.
c
Veterans’ race was determined by self-report from their Medicare or Social Security Enrollment data.
d
Federal fiscal years begin annually on October 1.
e
Enrollment numbers are lower in the final fiscal year because enrollment ceased after the first 3 months.