[Heart failure. Epidemiology --future prospects]

Prevalence of symptomatic heart failure estimates range from 0.4 to 2@1000 with the mean age being 74 years in the european population. This chronic pathology will increase in the next decade. We have to optimize the management of heart failure and try to decrease the number of expensive hospital readmissions, especially the ones that can be avoid. In the future we must respect the practical recommendations, evaluate the new drugs, develop primary cardiovascular prevention, institute a real information and education for heart failure patients and coordinate the management programs within the community. There are the stakes to overcome for reducing the number of heart failure patients and improve their prognosis.