Fact Sheets and At–a–Glance Reports

Heart Failure Fact Sheet

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Trends in Hospitalizations for Heart Failure by Age Group, 1979–2004, United States

Source: National Hospital Discharge survey.

[A text version of this graphic is also available.]

Facts on Heart Failure

• Heart failure is a condition where the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to meet the needs of other body organs.  Heart failure does not mean that the heart has stopped, but that it cannot pump blood the way that it should.
   
• Heart failure is a serious condition.  There is no cure for heart failure at this time.  Once diagnosed, medicines are needed for the rest of the person's life.
   
• Around 5 million people in the United States have heart failure.  About 550 thousand new cases are diagnosed each year.  More than 287 thousand people in the United States die each year with heart failure.¹
   
• Hospitalizations for heart failure have increased substantially.  They rose from 402,000 in 1979 to 1,101,000 in 2004. (National Hospital Discharge Survey)
   
• Heart failure is the most common reason for hospitalization among people on Medicare.  Hospitalizations for heart failure are higher in black than white people on Medicare.^2,3
   
• The most common causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, hypertension or high blood pressure, and diabetes. About 7 of 10 people with heart failure had high blood pressure before being diagnosed.  About 22 percent of men and 46 percent of women will develop heart failure within 6 years of having a heart attack.^1,4
   
• Heart failure as an underlying or contributing cause of death—286,700 (2003)¹  From 1993–2003, deaths from heart failure (ICD–9 428) increased 20.5%. In the same time period, the death rate declined 2%. The 2003 overall death rate for heart failure was 19.7 per 100,000. Death rates were 20.5 for white males, 23.4 for black males, 18.4 for white females and 20.4 for black females.¹
   
• The estimated direct cost for heart failure in 2006 is $29.6 billion in the United States.¹
   
• Common symptoms of heart failure include the following:
  — Shortness of breath during mild or usual daily activities.
  — Having trouble breathing when lying down.
  — Weight gain with swelling in the legs, ankles, or lower back from fluid buildup in the body. Swelling can be mild or moderate.
  — General tiredness and weakness.
   
• The quality of life and life expectancy of persons with heart failure can be improved with early diagnosis and treatment.  Treatment usually involves three to four medicines. Medicines used to treat heart failure include ACE inhibitors, diuretics, digoxin, and beta blockers.^5,6
   
• Persons living with heart failure can improve their quality of life and outcomes by the following:
  — Taking prescribed medications as recommended each day.
  — Reducing their dietary intake of salt (sodium).
  — Getting daily physical activity as recommended by their health provider.
  — Being aware of and telling their health provider about their heart failure symptoms.
  — Taking and keeping track of their weight every day to check fluid buildup in the body and telling their health provider of changes in weight over a short time.
  — Learning ways to deal with depression and stress and get treatment if needed.
  — Making living wills to state their wishes for care to health care providers and their family members.^4,7

CDC's Public Health Efforts 

CDC funds health departments in 32 states and the District of Columbia to develop strategies to reduce the burden of heart disease, stroke, and related risk factors.  The program focus is on heart healthy policies and physical and social environmental changes. Through these state programs, CDC aims to reduce disparities in treatment, risk factors, and disease; delay the onset of disease; postpone death from heart disease and stroke; and reduce disabling conditions. Efforts to prevent and control hypertension and coronary artery disease are key to preventing heart failure.  For more information on CDC's Cardiovascular Health State Program, please visit our Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/state_program/index.htm

For More Information

For more information about congestive heart failure, visit the Web sites of the following organizations:

• American Heart Association*
   
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
   
• Heart Failure Society of America*

References and Data Sources

1. American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Facts, 2006 Update. Dallas, Texas: AHA, 2006.
2. Elixhauser A, Yu K, Steiner C, Bierman, AS Table 4. Most Common reasons for hospitalizations by age groups, in Hospitalization in the United States, 1997, Rockville (Md): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2000, HCUP Fact Book; AHRQ Publication No. 00–0031.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Burden of Heart Disease and Stroke in the United States: State and National Data, 1999. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004.
4. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Diseases and Conditions Index, Heart Failure; http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hf  accessed Sept 9, 2004.
5. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Pharmacologic Management of Heart Failure and Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction: Effect in Female, Black, and Diabetic Patients, and Cost–Effectiveness. File Inventory, Evidence Report/Technology Assessment Number 82. AHRQ Publication No. 03–E045, July 2003. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.  http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/hrtflinv.htm
6. Hunt SA, Baker DW, Chin MH, Cinquegrani MP, Feldman AM, Francis GS, Ganiats TG, Goldstein S, Gregoratos G, Jessup ML, Nobel RJ, Packer M, Silver MA, Stevenson LW ACC/AHA Guidelines for the evaluation and management of chronic heart failure in the adult: executive summary:, J AM Coll Cardiol. 2001: 38: 2102–13.
7. Grady KL, Dracup K Kennedy G, Moser DK, Piano M, St4evenson LW Young JB. Team Management of Patients with Heart Failure, Circulation 102 (19): 2443–2456.

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*Links to non–Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.
 

Date last reviewed: 08/30/2006
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion