Heart failure epidemiology
The incidence of heart failure (HF) increases with age and its prevalence is increasing due to an ageing population.1 Although some HF patients can live for many years, absolute survival rates are poor in both sexes, with 50% of men dead at 2.3 years (range: 1.3–2.3 years) and 50% of women dead at 1.7 years (range: 1.32–1.79 years).2 Recent reports, however, suggest that the prognosis has substantially improved in the UK, thought to be related to better treatment and monitoring.3,4
Pay to access this premium content £5
The BJC is introducing a small charge for some of its premium content. On purchase you will receive an email to access the article and have a downloadable PDF to keep. The PDF can be downloaded from a button on the sidebar. Please note the purchase of this article is for your personal use only.By supporting us in this way, you are helping us to deliver high-quality services to healthcare professionals. We will continue to keep the majority of our content free of charge.
Disclaimer: UK prescribing information current at the date of publication of this supplement can be found by downloading the PDF. Medinews Cardiology Limited advises healthcare professionals to consult up-to-date Prescribing Information and the full Summary of Product Characteristics available from the manufacturers before prescribing any product. Medinews Cardiology Limited cannot accept responsibility for any errors in prescribing which may occur.