title: Epidemiology of Heart Failure in Korea: Present and Future.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Heart failure (HF) is an important healthcare issue because of its high mortality, morbidity, and healthcare costs. The number of HF patients is increasing worldwide as a consequence of aging of the population. However, there are limited studies on the prevalence of HF in Korea. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HF, its comorbidities, and the projected population with HF in the future.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prevalence and comorbidity estimates of HF were determined using data from the 2002-2013 National Sample Cohort based on the National Health Information Database. We calculated the projected prevalence of HF by multiplying the estimated prevalence in 2013 by the projected population counts for 2015-2040.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of HF in Korea was estimated to be 1.53% in 2013. The prevalence of HF in Korea is expected to increase by 2-fold, from 1.60% in 2015 to 3.35% in 2040. By 2040, more than 1.7 million Koreans are expected to have HF. In terms of comorbid diseases of HF, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus were common (45.4%, 43.6%, and 49.1% in 2013, respectively). The prevalence rates of arrhythmia, valvular disease, and cardiomyopathy in HF patients were approximately 22.6%, 5.6%, and 3.1% in 2013, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first nationwide report in Korea to demonstrate the prevalence and comorbidities of HF. These data may be used for the prevention and management of HF in Korea.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular and Rare Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular and Rare Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju, Korea.
authors.forename: Nam-Kyoo
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea.
authors.forename: Myeong-Chan
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular and Rare Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Park
keywords: Comorbidity; Heart failure; Prevalence; Projection; Risk factor