Optimized Management of Comorbidity in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction in the Elderly (>60 Years)

Growing recognition of the importance of co-morbidities in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFPEF) has led to the realization that rather than being a distinct disease entity, HFPEF may represent a spectrum of co-morbidities in elderly breathless patients. Accordingly, progress in managing HFPEF in the elderly requires improved understanding of HFPEF pathogenesis with a focus on the impact of co-morbidities. However, the available evidence is insufficient to determine the true prevalence and severity of co-morbidities as well as their impact on both diagnosis and treatment in HFPEF. Therefore there are widespread diagnostic uncertainty without proven therapy! The purpose of this project is twofold: 1. The investigators will study how to improve diagnostic accuracy for HFPEF in elderly patients, despite frequent comorbidities and higher age? How useful is it to add exercise testing and contrast echocardiography as well as biomarker as additional diagnostic tools in elderly HFPEF patients? 2. The investigators will test the hypothesis that HFPEF in the elderly is dominated by multiple co-morbidities that are a major part of the syndrome itself that contribute to the development of HFPEF. This hypothesis implies that the treatment of co-morbidities will improve prognosis. The investigators\' overall goal is to bring about a paradigm shift in managing elderly patients with HFPEF by not only improving diagnosis but also effectively treating co-morbidities that are currently considered predisposing factors to HFPEF. This contrasts with trials during last two decades that only target the heart. The investigators will pursue the following specific aims: 1. Validate the diagnostic criteria for HFPEF proposed by European Society of Cardiology 2012, and determine the added diagnostic values of exercise testing and contrast echocardiography as well as biomarker for HFPEF in a multi-center study. 2. Determine if systematic screening and optimal management of co-morbidities associated with HFPEF improves the outcomes of patients with HFPEF in a randomized study.