OBJECTIVES:: To understand the disease and treatment patterns of Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) in Brazil. METHODS:: A Disease Specific Program was conducted to assess the impact of CHF. Patient record forms (PRF) were completed by 45 cardiologists for 443 patients with CHF. The same patients were invited to complete a patient self-completion questionnaire. RESULTS: PRF data (n=443) revealed that a typical CHF patient was male (55%) with a mean age of 65.7 years. Physicians underestimated the length of time patients experienced symptoms before visiting a doctor; reporting 25.3 weeks, versus the patient-reported 47.1 weeks. Patients on average had been diagnosed for two and a half years and the majority (54%) were considered to be stable/compensated. Cause: Hypertension was the leading cause of CHF (60%), followed by CHD/Myocardial infarction (23%). Physical signs/examinations were used to both diagnose and monitor CHF; the key tests were blood pressure and heart rate. For 33% (n=141) of patients, the primary reason for consultation was diagnosis and/or testing of CHF symptoms. The lower a patient’s ejection fraction, and the more severe the NYHA functional classification, the more unstable/decompensated the patient was considered to be. Hospitalization: In the last year, 24% of patients were hospitalized for CHF, 16% of which were readmitted to hospital within 30 days (n=11). Physicians believed two fifths of patients were at a moderate or greater risk of being hospitalised and/or dying within the next year. Treatment: 71% of doctors and patients were in agreement about how the last treatment decision was made. Approximately 70% of patients received Beta Blockers; 58% received Ace Inhibitors, 58% received Statins, and 55% were prescribed Loop Diuretics. Physicians reported that 92% of patients did not take OTC (over-the-counter) CHF treatments. CONCLUSIONS:: These data are important for better understanding treatment patterns and characteristics of CHF in Brazil.