New results from one of the largest real-world evidence studies of heart failure (HF) have revealed the high burden of the disease on patients and healthcare systems, with an estimated disease prevalence of up to 2% of the adult population and a 13% annual mortality rate.
The study shows that HF patients with preserved (HFpEF) and moderately reduced (HFmrEF) ejection fraction represent 60% of all HF patients, more than previously estimated. HFpEF and HFmrEF are of clinical importance as they can be more difficult to diagnose and, until very recently, have had no licensed therapies to improve prognostic outcome. Results from the CArdioREnal and MEtabolic (CaReMe) HF study were published today in Heart, a BMJ specialist journal.
Heart failure already places an enormous economic burden on healthcare systems, with European countries such as the UK allocating 1–2% of its annual healthcare budget towards it. This burden is expected to increase as the incidence of HF rises due to ageing populations and improved diagnostic methods.
This...highlight the considerable public health impact of HF and the importance of multimodal disease management
The multinational study of over 600,000 HF patients across 11 countries showed that those with HF had numerous comorbidities, with the most frequent being chronic kidney disease (CKD), ischaemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation and diabetes. Furthermore, hospital care costs associated with HF and CKD were the highest, compared to cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke.
The study highlights an urgent need for improved risk management for patients with HF to reduce the burden of the disease.
Dr Navdeep Tangri, Professor of Medicine at University of Manitoba Department of Internal Medicine, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada said: “To date, few studies have assessed the prevalence, impact and costs of heart failure using comprehensive real-world evidence that is representative of today’s population. The CaReMe HF study is one of the largest, longest and broadest studies assessing this chronic disease and adding to the body of evidence for HF. The results highlight the considerable public health impact of HF and the importance of multimodal disease management to improve patients’ lives and reduce healthcare costs.”
The study builds off the recent CaReMe study in CKD (the largest CKD study to date, with over 2.4 million patients) recently published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, where cardiorenal complications were the primary driver of both risks and costs.