HEART FAILURE
Clinical Overview

Epidemiology and Pathophysiology

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Epidemiology

Heart failure (HF) afflicts nearly 5 million Americans with an alarming 400,000 new cases diagnosed each year.¹ It is primarily a disease of the elderly, and is diagnosed in 10% of individuals over 75 years of age.

Incidence of heart failure by age and sex2

Heart failure is the most common reason for hospitalization in the elderly and is a frequent cause of rehospitalization.³ A diagnosis of heart failure carries a 5-year mortality rate of approximately 50% and a high frequency of readmission to acute care facilities.⁴Hospitalizations for CHF are on the increase, from 377,000 in 1979 to 872,000 in 1995. Likewise, the annual death rate has risen 115.7% during that same time period, from about 20,000 in 1979 to 43,000 in 1995.¹

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