Heart failure (HF) is a significant burden for public health, affecting more than 63 million people worldwide and expected to increase as the population ages; in Italy, the estimated prevalence of HF is 1-3% and the incidence rate 2-5 cases per 1000 persons per year. Despite advancements in treatment, a HF diagnosis still leads to significant morbidity and mortality and impacts on patients' quality of life (QoL). Dapagliflozin is the first in a novel class of glucose-lowering agents known as sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, approved for the treatment of Heart Failure with reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF). As with all new drugs introduced into clinical practice, there is a strong scientific interest in producing evidence from observational studies regarding the use of dapagliflozin for the treatment of HFrEF in real-world settings with detailed clinical data on heart failure symptoms, outcomes, and health-related QoL.~The overall aim of this observational study is to describe the characteristics of patients in Italy initiating dapagliflozin for the treatment of HFrEF and to provide early insights into real-world dapagliflozin treatment patterns (primary objectives) as well as patient-reported outcomes including quality of life (secondary objectives).~This study is part of a multicountry study programme, including similar studies that will be conducted in other countries with similar objectives. Data from each of the individual studies may be combined in a pooled analysis.
This is an observational, non-interventional, longitudinal prospective descriptive study including participants diagnosed with Heart Failure with reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF) in Italy and initiated on treatment with dapagliflozin according to the approved HFrEF indication. The study is aimed at providing insights into real-world drug utilization and treatment patterns of dapagliflozin in the Italian HFrEF setting, as well as patient-reported outcomes including quality of life.