Heart failure in Australia
Recent releases
Cardiovascular disease and its associated risk factors in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples 2004-05 (5 June 2008) (media release and publication)
Comorbidity of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease in Australia (9 August 2007) (media release and publication)
Popular titles
 Australia's health 2008 |
 Australia's welfare 2007 |
What is heart failure?
Heart failure occurs when the heart pumps blood less effectively around the body. It can result from heart attack, high blood pressure or a damaged heart valve.
Key facts
|
Prevalence - number of Australians with condition in 2004-05 |
263,000 |
|---|---|
| Incidence - new cases | unknown |
| Hospitalisations in 2006-07 | 43,681 |
| Deaths in 2006 (underlying cause only) | 2,352 |
Did you know?
- Older people are more likely to have heart failure: 2.5% of Australians aged 55-64 years have heart failure increasing to 8.2% for those aged 75 years or over.
- Women make up more than two-thirds of Australians with heart failure.
- Death rates from heart failure are falling but the reasons for this are not clear. Age-standardised death rates for heart failure as an underlying or associated cause of death fell by 29% between 1997 and 2003.
More information
Publications showing detailed statistics (free full text)