The 2024 report reveals that in the United States, an estimated 6.7 million individuals aged 20 years and older have HF. Moreover, experts predict that the prevalence of HF will expand to 8.7 million by 2030, 10.3 million by 2040, and a staggering 11.4 million by 2050. The HFSA also noted that the lifetime risk of HF has increased to 24% (about 1 in 4 persons will develop HF in their lifetime).
The HFSA indicated that this year’s findings emphasize some of the most alarming trends observed in HF in recent years. While HF rates have progressively augmented over the last decade, the 2024 report demonstrates that the issue is increasing even more severely, particularly in younger populations, racial and ethnic minority groups, and those with multiple chronic comorbidities.
The HFSA states, “While trends among patient populations are concerning, the report also identifies challenges with implementation and reporting. Despite established guidelines emphasizing the timely initiation of guideline-directed medical therapies (GMDT), the data indicate that implementation is falling short, which may be fueling the increase in both mortality and hospitalization rates for HF, particularly among at-risk populations. Inconsistent coding practices that fail to recognize HF as a primary underlying cause of death may lead to under-detection and under-reporting of HF deaths, suggesting that the actual burden of HF may be higher than current data shows.”
Biykem Bozkurt, MD, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine and chair of the HFSA Data in HF Committee, stated, “The shifts in age distribution, worsening in mortality rates, widening racial and ethnic disparities–which may be a reflection of systematic and structural barriers to appropriate and timely health care–should be a wake-up call for clinicians, payers, legislators, funding agencies, and the overall healthcare system.”
Dr. Bozkurt added, “We need to address worsening trends in heart failure, not only through medical interventions and properly implemented GDMT, but by tackling the growing challenges in health care regarding access and coverage for appropriate and timely care, the effect of mis-incentivization of wrong care such as inappropriate discontinuation of therapies, and social determinants of health that are driving widening disparities.”
Key highlights from the 2024 report include:
• Greater Impact on Younger Patients: The percentage of younger patients (aged 35-64 years) with HF has augmented, showing a higher annual rise in mortality compared to older adults, and this trend suggests that HF is no longer just a disease of aging but a medical condition that is progressively affecting younger populations.
• Mortality Surge in 2021: While the 2023 report revealed a rising trend in HF-related mortalities since 2012, the 2024 report shows a noteworthy acceleration in 2020-2021, when 425,147 mortalities were related to HF, accounting for 45% of cardiovascular mortalities.
• Racial Disparities Worsening: As in previous years, Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native individuals continue to have the greatest all-cause age-adjusted HF mortality rates. The mortality rate for black individuals has expanded more quickly than any other racial or ethnic group, particularly in patients aged younger than 65 years, and the overall prevalence of HF has also increased among black and Hispanic populations. Rural areas have meaningly higher HF mortality rates than urban areas and demonstrate a notably more significant relative increase in HF mortality rates than urban areas.
• Impact of Comorbidities: Obesity and hypertension continue to be critical risk factors for developing HF, but the 2024 report accentuates the growing danger of multiple comorbidities that expand an individual’s risk of developing HF.
• COVID-19 Impact: For the first time, the 2024 report noted that due to the pandemic, HF hospitalization rates were briefly diminished; however, long-term trends still demonstrate a steady rise in hospitalizations across all age groups and racial categories, with black patients disproportionately impacted.
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