Insights into the European heart failure epidemiology

The Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), together with the National Heart Failure Societies (NHFS), designed the European Heart Failure (HF) Survey with an aim of assessing contemporary HF epidemiology, management resources, availability and reimbursement of guideline-directed medications and devices, and structure of professional and patient organizations. This document presents data on HF epidemiology.

The European HF Survey was conducted in 43 ESC member countries. Epidemiology data were exclusively collected from national health statistics from 2019, and standardized according to the European Standard Population, with variable response rates and data completeness among the countries. Median annual HF incidence was 3.9 patients per 1000 person-years (interquartile range [IQR] 3.1-6.5), and median HF prevalence was 1937 patients (IQR 1463-3416) per 100 000 population. Median in-hospital mortality of patients admitted for HF was 8.0% (IQR 4.9-9.6%), and median 1-year all-cause mortality of patients with HF was 14.5% (IQR 8.2-21.6%). Median number of HF-related hospitalizations was 333 (IQR 230-469) per 100 000 population, and median length of stay for HF-related hospitalizations was 8.5 (IQR 7.2-9.2) days. A heterogeneity in HF epidemiology statistics was observed across different countries.

The European HF Survey provides a contemporary insight into HF epidemiology and outcomes across the ESC member countries. These data are valuable to inform strategies to improve prevention, diagnosis, and management of HF. The persisting gaps and considerable heterogeneity in epidemiology statistics highlight the need to further unify data collection and reporting practices across European countries.