title: Quantifying the heart failure epidemic: prevalence, incidence rate, lifetime risk and prognosis of heart failure The Rotterdam Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence, incidence rate, lifetime risk and prognosis of heart failure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Rotterdam Study is a prospective population-based cohort study in 7983 participants aged > or =55. Heart failure was defined according to criteria of the European Society of Cardiology. Prevalence was higher in men and increased with age from 0.9% in subjects aged 55-64 to 17.4% in those aged > or =85. Incidence rate of heart failure was 14.4/1000 person-years (95% CI 13.4-15.5) and was higher in men (17.6/1000 man-years, 95% CI 15.8-19.5) than in women (12.5/1000 woman-years, 95% CI 11.3-13.8). Incidence rate increased with age from 1.4/1000 person-years in those aged 55-59 to 47.4/1000 person-years in those aged > or =90. Lifetime risk was 33% for men and 29% for women at the age of 55. Survival after incident heart failure was 86% at 30 days, 63% at 1 year, 51% at 2 years and 35% at 5 years of follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence and incidence rates of heart failure are high. In individuals aged 55, almost 1 in 3 will develop heart failure during their remaining lifespan. Heart failure continues to be a fatal disease, with only 35% surviving 5 years after the first diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus Medical Centre, PO Box 1738, 3000, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gysèle S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Bleumink
authors.forename: Anneke M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Knetsch
authors.forename: Miriam C J M
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Sturkenboom
authors.forename: Sabine M J M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Straus
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.forename: Jaap W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Deckers
authors.forename: Jacqueline C M
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Witteman
authors.forename: Bruno H Ch
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Stricker
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology