As per estimates, absolute number of people living with heart failure in the United Kingdom has increased by 23% between 2002 and 2014 with global economic cost estimated at US$108 billion/year. However, a recent study published by BMJ says that survival after diagnosis of heart failure has improved only modestly in the 21st century and lags behind other serious conditions like cancer.
Research team led by Dr. Clare Taylor and Professor Richard Hobbs at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences in Oxford used data from Clinical Practice Research Datalink between 2000 and 2017. Survival rate for 55,959 patients aged ≥45 years with a new diagnosis of heart failure was compared with 278,679 matched control participants.
The proportion of patients with heart failure admitted to hospital increased from 28.9% in 2000 to 51.8% in 2010 and then remained stable. Of 30,906 deaths in the heart failure group over the study period, 42.4% cases listed heart failure as any cause of death on the death certificate whereas it was the primary cause of death in 7.2% cases.
Overall, 1-, 5- and 10-year survival rates in patients with new diagnosis of heart failure improved by 6.6% (between 2000 and 2016), 7.2% (between 2000 and 2012) and 6.4% (between 2000 and 2007), respectively. Improvement in survival was greater for patients not requiring hospital admission around the time of diagnosis (median difference, 2.4 years; P<.001).
The authors said that their findings should alert policymakers to the need for further investment in heart failure services. They added that new strategies for timely diagnosis and treatment initiation in primary care for all socioeconomic groups should be a priority for future research and policy.
