title: Socioeconomic Inequalities in Heart Failure.
abstract: Prevalence and incidence of chronic heart failure (CHF) has increased during the past decades. Beyond its impact on mortality rates, CHF severely impairs quality of life, particularly with the elderly and vulnerable population. Several studies have shown that CHF takes its toll mostly on the uneducated, low-income population, who exhibit impaired access to health care systems, less knowledge regarding its pathology and poorer self-care behaviors. This review summarizes the available evidence linking socioeconomic inequalities and CHF, focusing on the modifiable factors that may explain the impaired health outcomes in socioeconomically deprived populations.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Enfermería, Escuela de Enfermería, Universidad Andrés Bello, Sazié 2212, 6th Floor, Santiago 8370136, Chile. Electronic address: felipe.diaz.t@unab.cl.
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Díaz-Toro
authors.affiliation: Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago 8330024, Chile.
authors.forename: Hugo E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Verdejo
authors.affiliation: Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago 8330024, Chile.
authors.forename: Pablo F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Castro
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D057220:Health Literacy; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Health care disparities; Health literacy; Heart failure; Socioeconomic status