Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

OBJECTIVE: It is widely held that there will be an epidemic of heart failure in Europe and North America as a result of increased survival from myocardial infarction and other coronary heart disease. The study objective was to discover if the decline in mortality from coronary heart disease has been accompanied by a rise in mortality from heart failure in the study population. DESIGN: Analysis of database of mortality records including all certified causes of death, not just the underlying cause, from 1979-2003. SETTING: Former Oxford NHS Region, England. PATIENTS: Data from death certificates of all who died in the population covered. MAIN RESULTS: Mortality rates for heart failure fell at very similar rates as those from coronary heart disease. In men, the average annual fall in mortality from coronary heart disease was -2.7% (95% confidence intervals -2.8 to -2.5) and that from heart failure was -2.9% (-3.2 to -2.5). In women, the average annual fall in mortality from coronary heart disease was -2.3% (-2.6 to -2.1) and that from heart failure was -2.6% (-3.0 to -2.3). CONCLUSIONS: The decline in mortality from coronary heart disease has not been accompanied by a rise in mortality from heart failure. A future epidemic of heart failure, as a consequence of the decline in mortality from coronary heart disease, seems unlikely.

Original publication

DOI

10.1136/jech.2004.028951

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Epidemiol Community Health

Publication Date

09/2005

Volume

59

Pages

782 - 784

Keywords

Age Distribution, Cardiac Output, Low, Coronary Disease, Death Certificates, England, Female, Heart Failure, Humans, Male, Sex Distribution