Abstract
Evaluation of the heart failure (HF) incidence in Olmsted County (Minnesota/USA) revealed
a decline from 316 per 100,000 in 2000 to 219 per 100,000 in 2010 equating to a relative
reduction of 37.5 %. The decline in HF incidence was greater for HFrEF than for HFpEF
(– 45 % vs. – 28 %) und smaller in men than in women (-29 % vs. – 43 %). Notebly,
it was independent from age. The 1-year mortality rate was 20.2 %. Noncardiovascular
causes were the predominent reasons for both mortality and hospitalizations. Neither
mortality nor hospitalization rate declined over time. Sound data on the HF incidence
are currently not available for Germany. However, the total number of HF-related hospitalizations
increased during the period from 2000 to 2014. This phenomenon is most likely due
to an increased prevalence secondary to optimized HF therapy and changes in demography
with a higher HF hospitalization rate in elderly patients.
