Who is affected by heart failure

Data from the Framingham Heart Study indicates that from 1950 to 1999 the incidence of heart failure has declined among women and remained level among men. However, as the "baby boomer" population ages, it is expected that the incidence in both men and women will once again increase. Survival after the onset of heart failure has improved for both sexes.¹

• Nearly 5 million people in the United States have heart failure. Heart failure affects men and women about equally.²
• About 550,000 new cases of heart failure occur each year.²
• Heart failure affects nearly 10 in 1,000 people after age 65.²

Heart failure eventually occurs in almost all people with severe heart disease. When and how it appears depends on the type of underlying heart disease present.

In the past, a person with heart disease would die at an earlier age, long before heart failure might develop. Today, better medical care and treatments mean that heart disease is being identified and treated earlier, extending the lives of millions of people. However, those same people with heart disease who now live longer have increased chances of developing heart failure.

Citations

1. Levy D, et al. (2002). Long-term trends in the incidence of and survival with heart failure. New England Journal of Medicine, 347(18): 1397–1443.

2. American Heart Association (2005). Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2005 Update. Dallas: American Heart Association.