Current Heart Failure Statistics
The American Heart Association estimates that over 5 million Americans suffer from heart failure and that almost 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Once diagnosed with the disease, one-fifth of patients die within the first year, 50% die within five years and only 15% survive more than ten years.1
The following table, from the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2007 Update, provides an excellent snapshot of the morbidity and mortality rates of heart failure.
| Population Group |
Prevalence 2004
Age 20+ |
Incidence (New Cases)
Age 35+ |
Mortality 2004*
All Ages |
Hospital Discharges 2004
All Ages |
| Both Sexes |
5,200,000 (2.5%) |
550,000 |
57,700 |
1,099,000 |
| Males |
2,600,00 (2.8%) |
... |
22,501 (39.0%)** |
524,000 |
| Females |
2,600,000 (2.2%) |
... |
35,199 (61.0%)** |
575,000 |
| NH white males |
2.8% |
... |
20,040 |
... |
| NH white females |
2.1% |
... |
31,785 |
... |
| NH black males |
2.7% |
... |
2,119 |
... |
| NH black females |
3.3% |
... |
3,017 |
... |
| Mexican-American males |
2.1% |
... |
... |
... |
| Mexican-American females |
1.9% |
... |
... |
... |
Ellipses (...) indicate data not available.
*Mortality data are for whites and blacks.
**These percentages represent the portion of total HF mortality that is for males vs. females.
Sources: Prevalence: NHANES (1999-2004), NCHS, and NHLBI; percentages are age adjusted for Americans age 20 and older. These data are based on self-reports. Estimates from NHANES 1000-2004 applied to 2004 population estimates. Incidence: FHS, NHLBI. Mortality: NCHS. These data represent underlying cause of death only. Data for white and black males and females include Hispanics; data for Mexican-Americans are for 2003. Hospital discharges: NHDS, NCHS; data include those inpatients discharged alive, dead, or status unknown.
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A community-based cohort study conducted in Olmsted County, MN, showed that the incidence of HF (ICD-9 428) has not declined during two decades, but survival after onset has increased overall, with less improvement among women and elderly persons.2 However, the aging of the population will undoubtedly result in an increased number of cases of chronic diseases, including coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke.3
On the basis of the 44-year follow-up of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study
(NHLBI FHS)4:
- HF incidence approaches 10 per 1000 population after age 65.
- Seventy-five percent of HF cases have antecedent hypertension.
- Eighty percent of men and 70% of women under age 65 who have HF will die within 8 years.
- After HF is diagnosed, survival is poorer in men than in women, but fewer than 15% of women survive more than 8 to 12 years. The 1-year mortality rate is high, with 1 in 5 dying.
- In people diagnosed with HF, sudden cardiac death occurs at 6 to 9 times the rate of the general population.
On the basis of 1971-1996 data from the NHLBI's FHS4:
- At age 40, the lifetime risk of developing CHF for both men and women is 1 in 5.
- At age 40, the lifetime risk of CHF occurring without antecedent MI is 1 in 9 for men and 1 in 6 for women.
- The lifetime risk doubles for people with BP greater than 160/90 mm Hg versus those with BP less than 140/90 mm Hg.
Appropriate diagnosis remains an important aspect in determining treatment for HF. Click here for treatment guidelines.
1. Medical Data International (MDI) 1998, Medpro Report.
2. Roger VL, Weston SA, Redfield MM, Hellerman-Homan JP, Killian J, Yawn BP, Jacobsen SJ. Trends in heart failure incidence and survival in a community-based population. JAMA. 2004; 292:344-350.
3. Bonow RO, Smaha LA, Smith SC Jr., Mensah GA, Lenfant C. World Heart Day 2002: the international burden of cardiovascular disease: responding to the emerging global epidemic.Circulation. 2002;106:1602-1605.
4. Lloyd-Jones DM, Larson MG, Leip EP, Beiser A, D'Agostino RB, Kannel WB, Murabito JM, Vasan RS, Benjamin EJ, Levy D, Framingham Heart Study. Lifetime risk for developing congestive heart failure: the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. 2002;106:3068-3072.
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