[Trends of hospitalizations for chronic heart failure in Andalusia in the last decade].
OBJECTIVE
The cost of hospitalization represents the greatest proportion of total expenditure due to heart failure. Our objective was to analyze the trends of morbidity of chronic heart failure in Andalusia between 1990-2000.


METHODS
The data on hospitalizations in Andalusia (title 428 of the ninth revision of the International Disease Classification) were obtained from the National Survey of Hospital Morbidity of the National Institute of Statistics. The rates, standardized by age and gender, of admission due to heart failure were calculated by the direct standardization method.


RESULTS
The absolute number of hospitalizations due to hear failure in people over 45 years was 4,345 in 1990 and 10,153 in 2000 (a relative increase of 230%) and it represents 14.2% hospitalizations in Spain. The increase was focused on those over 65 years and the standardized rates were slightly greater in women than in men.


CONCLUSIONS
Hospitalization discharge rates increased mostly in the population older than 65 and women showed hospitalization rates slightly greater than men.
Jiménez-Navarro
M F
MF
Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, España. jimeneznavarro@secardiologia.es
Muñoz García
A J
AJ
García-Pinilla
J M
JM
Gómez Hernández
G
G
Gómez-Doblas
J J
JJ
de Teresa Galván
E
E
D000368:Aged; D002303:Cardiac Output, Low / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology