Situación epidemiológica de la insuficiencia cardiaca en España

Heart failure (HF) is one of the most common, costly and fatal diseases that physicians and surgeons have to deal with in clinical practice. Some 1-2% of individuals aged over 40 years present with HF, as do 10% or more of those aged over 60 years. In Spain, this corresponds to about 200 000 patients aged between 40 and 60 years and about 500 000 aged over 60 years who need attention for HF. Among those aged 65 years and more, HF is the primary cause of hospitalization, resulting in 74,000 hospital admissions each year. The incidence of HF increases with age and reaches 1% per year in those aged over 65 years. Moreover, HF is a progressive and lethal disorder, even with appropriate treatment. The 5-year survival rate is around 50%, which is no better than that of many cancers. In Spain, HF is the third leading cause of cardiovascular mortality. It results in 15% of all cardiovascular deaths. Despite these dramatic figures, there is very little awareness of HF and its causes in the general population. HF has all the characteristics of an epidemic disease. Its incidence will probably continue to rise due to ongoing aging of the population and to more patients surviving coronary heart disease thanks to better treatment. Treatment of hypertension and coronary disease, the main causes of HF in Spain, is the only way in which the increase in HF expected in the near future can be halted.