Heart failure: 2% of the population of the United States may develop heart failure.

Clinical bottom line (level 2c)

  1. Two percent of men and women between the ages of 25 and 74 years in the United States may eventually develop congestive heart failure.
  2. In the United States, the prevalence of congestive heart failure increased with age.
  3. Mortality from congestive heart failure increased with age.
  4. Men diagnosed between 55 and 74 years old were nearly twice as likely to die within 15 years of congestive heart failure than women of a similar age.
Schocken et al: Journal of the American College of Cardiology 1992; 20 (3): 301-306
Expires November 2003

The study

Setting: throughout the USA

14407 patients (aged range 25 to 74 years, ?% male) People living in the USA were identified demographically and the study design included an oversampling of specific population subgroups, women of childbearing age, the elderly and persons living in poverty. Data collected from the NHANES I (1971-1975) study were used to determine the prevalence of heart failure on the basis of both self reporting and clinical definition. Mortality were derived from the NHANES I (1982-1986) epidemiologic follow-up study

Excluded if
  • institutionalised persons
  • age <25 or >74 years old



    • Reference standard:
    • The congestive heart failure mortality rates are based on patients who died after diagnosis of CHF not on death certificate.
    Diagnostic test: Diagnosis of congestive heart failure was determined in two ways- participants were asked on a self-report questionnaire if they had ever been told by a physician that they had heart failure, and an operative definition was based on the criteria of the Framingham Heart Study.
    • The length of follow-up was 15 years.

    The evidence


    differential diagnosis number of patients prevalence
    (95% CI)
    total estimated heart failure prevalence, aged between 25 and 74 years 2097484 2.00%
    (% to %)
    estimated heart failure prevalence, aged 25 to 54 years 796467 1.10%
    (% to %)
    estimated heart failure prevalence, aged 55 to 64 years 710443 3.70%
    (% to %)
    estimated heart failure prevalence, aged 65 to 74 years 590574 4.50%
    (% to %)
    10-year estimated mortality, aged 25 to 54 years 145890 18.3%
    (% to %)
    15-year estimated mortality, aged 55 to 64 years 351405 49.5%
    (% to %)
    15-year estimated mortality, aged 65 to 74 years 379755 64.3%
    (% to %)
    heart failure prevalence, women aged 25 to 74 years 1120988 2.00%
    (% to %)
    heart failure prevalence, men aged 25 to 74 years 976496 1.90%
    (% to %)
    15-year estimated mortality, women aged 55 to 74 years 242257 39.1%
    (% to %)
    15-year estimated mortality, men aged 55 to 74 years 488903 71.8%
    (% to %)

    Citation

    1. Schocken DD, Arrieta MI, Leaverton PE, et al: Prevalence and mortality of congestive heart failure in the United States. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 1992; 20 (3): 301-306
    Contributor: Clare Wotton and Musab Hayatli, November 1999
    Reviewer: Sylvie Antonini-Revaz

    Clinical Question.
    Patient population
    Intervention or Exposure prevalence
    Outcome congestive heart failure