Fact Sheets and At–a–Glance Reports

Heart Failure Fact Sheet

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Source: CDC Chronic Disease Indicators.

Heart Failure Facts

• Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to support other organs. Heart failure is a serious condition, but it does not mean that the heart has stopped beating.
   
• Around 5.8 million people in the United States have heart failure. About 670,000 people are diagnosed with it each year.¹
   
• About one in five people who have heart failure die within one year from diagnosis.¹
   
• Heart failure was a contributing cause of 282,754 deaths in 2006.¹
   
• In 2010, heart failure will cost the United States $39.2 billion.¹ This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.
   
• The most common causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
   
• Early diagnosis and treatment can improve quality of life and life expectancy for people who have heart failure. Treatment usually involves taking medicines, reducing salt in the diet, and getting daily physical activity. People with heart failure also track their daily symptoms and discuss them with their doctors.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of heart failure include—

• Shortness of breath during daily activities.
• Having trouble breathing when lying down.
• Weight gain with swelling in the legs, ankles, or lower back.
• General fatigue and weakness.

CDC's Public Health Efforts 

CDC’s Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program
Since 1998, CDC has funded state health departments’ efforts to reduce the number of people with heart disease or stroke. Health departments in 41 states and the District of Columbia currently receive funding. The program stresses policy and education to promote heart-healthy and stroke-free living and working conditions. For more information on CDC’s National Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program, visit http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/state_program/index.htm.

For More Information

For more information about congestive heart failure, visit the Web sites of the following organizations:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• American Heart Association*
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• Heart Failure Society of America*

Reference

1. Lloyd-Jones D, Adams RJ, Brown TM, et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2010 Update. A Report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee.* Circulation. 2010;121:e1-e170.

 
*Links to non–Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.
 

Page last reviewed: January 25, 2010
Page last modified: January 25, 2010
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion