What is Heart failure?

Contents

Heart failure: Introduction
Types of Heart failure
Prognosis
Complications
Prevalence
Other names for Heart failure
Who gets Heart failure?
What causes Heart failure?
What are the symptoms of Heart failure?
Organs Affected by Heart failure
Can anyone else get Heart failure?
How is it treated?
Society issues for Heart failure
Heart failure: Introduction

What is Heart failure?

Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure, is a very serious condition in which the heart muscle has been damaged. Although the heart ...more »

Heart failure: Slow failure of the heart (cardiac insufficiency).
Heart failure: Loss of blood-pumping ability by the heart. (Source: excerpt from NHLBI, Heart Failure: NHLBI)
Heart failure: A state of subnormal or depressed cardiac output, usually seen in patients with heart failure secondary to coronary artery, hypertensive, primary myocardial, valvular, or pericardial disease.
Source - Diseases Database
Heart failure: inability of the heart to pump enough blood to sustain normal bodily functions.
Source - WordNet 2.1

Heart failure: Introduction

Types of Heart failure:

Types of Heart failure:

Congestive heart failure
Left heart failure
Right heart failure
Systolic heart failure - heart muscle has difficulty contracting.
Diastolic heart failure - heart muscle has difficulty relaxing.
Congestive heart failure - heart failure leading to pulmonary congestion and lung problems.
more types...»

Broader types of Heart failure:

How many people get Heart failure?

Prevalance of Heart failure: 4.8 million (NHLBI); 2 to 3 million Americans (NHLBI)
Prevalance Rate of Heart failure: approx 1 in 56 or 1.76% or 4.8 million people in USA [about data]
Incidence (annual) of Heart failure: 550,000 new cases (NHLBI); 400,000 new cases annually
Incidence Rate of Heart failure: approx 1 in 494 or 0.20% or 550,000 people in USA [about data]
Prevalance of Heart failure: Between 2 to 3 million Americans have heart failure (Source: excerpt from NHLBI, Heart Failure: NHLBI)
Incidence of Heart failure: 400,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. (Source: excerpt from NHLBI, Heart Failure: NHLBI)

Who gets Heart failure?

Profile for Heart failure: The condition is slightly more common among men than women and is twice as common among African Americans as whites. (Source: excerpt from NHLBI, Heart Failure: NHLBI)

How serious is Heart failure?

Complications of Heart failure: see complications of Heart failure
5-year survival rate for Heart failure: About two-thirds of all patients die within 5 years of diagnosis. (Source: excerpt from NHLBI, Heart Failure: NHLBI)
Deaths for Heart failure: 54,913 deaths reported in USA 1999 (NVSR Sep 2001); 39,000 deaths a year (NHLBI)

What causes Heart failure?

Causes of Heart failure: see causes of Heart failure
Risk factors for Heart failure: see risk factors for Heart failure

What are the symptoms of Heart failure?

Symptoms of Heart failure: see symptoms of Heart failure

Complications of Heart failure: see complications of Heart failure

Can anyone else get Heart failure?

More information: see contagiousness of Heart failure
Inheritance: see inheritance of Heart failure

Heart failure: Testing

Diagnostic testing: see tests for Heart failure.

Misdiagnosis: see misdiagnosis and Heart failure.

How is it treated?

Treatments for Heart failure: see treatments for Heart failure
Prevention of Heart failure: see prevention of Heart failure
Research for Heart failure: see research for Heart failure

Society issues for Heart failure

Costs of Heart failure: $3.4 billion in 1995 in the USA

Cost statistics for Heart failure: The following are statistics from various sources about costs and Heart failure:

Over 625 million pounds per year in direct medical costs in the UK (The British Heart Foundation, 2004)
Inpatient care accounts for about 60% of total cost of heart failure in the UK (The British Heart Foundation, 2004)
more statistics...»

Hospitalizations for Heart failure: 975,000 (NHLBI 1999)

Hospitalization statistics for Heart failure: The following are statistics from various sources about hospitalizations and Heart failure:

205 per 100,000 rate for hospitalizations for heart failure in Canada 1995 Surveillance on-line, 1998 LCDC, Health Canada)
0.842% (107,471) of hospital consultant episodes were for heart failure in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
65% of hospital consultant episodes for heart failure required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
50% of hospital consultant episodes for heart failure were for men in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
50% of hospital consultant episodes for heart failure were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
90% of hospital consultant episodes for heart failure required emergency hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
14.8 days was the mean length of stay in hospitals for heart failure in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
more statistics...»

Physician office visits for Heart failure: 2,684,000 (NHLBI 1999)