Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a leading cause of death and a major health problem accross the world. The incidence is increasing with the aging og population. CHF and stroke share the same risk factors, particularly hypertension and atrial fibrillation. The objective of this study is to investigate the clinical, electrical and echocardiographic profile of CHF patients with stroke.

It is a transversal retrospective study conducted between May 2006 and June 2019 including all patients beyond the age of 14 with CHF and diabetes followed-up in the therapeutic unit of heart failure of our department. The data were collected on Excel and analyzed using SPSS 2.0 software. We studied the profile of CHF patients with stroke.

344 patients were collected (10% of all CHF patients). Mean age was 68,85±12,60 years, male predominance (66,9%). The main cardiovascular risk factor was hypertension (46,5%), smoking in 40,1% and diabetes in 32,8%. The leading cause of CHF was ischemic heart disease in 76,4%, valvular heart disease in 15,5%, dilated cardiomyopathy in 5,5%. Permanent atrial fibrillation was present in 17,3% of cases. Mean LVEF was 36,27±10,61% with no statistical difference with CHF patients without stroke (P=0.057). The left ventricle was dilated in 76,7%, 2% of patients had an intra-cavitary thrombus. 53,8% of patients were anticoagulated.

CHF and stroke share the same risk factors. CHF with reduced LVEF is at risk of stroke. Secondary prevention may improve the prognosis and the benefit of anticoagulation is still controversial.