Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Feb;22(2):241-248.
doi: 10.1002/ejhf.1609. Epub 2019 Oct 23.

Heart failure in Norway, 2000-2014: analysing incident, total and readmission rates using data from the Cardiovascular Disease in Norway (CVDNOR) Project

Gerhard Sulo  1   2 , Jannicke Igland  3 , Simon Øverland  1   4 , Grace M Egeland  3   5 , Gregory A Roth  6 , Stein E Vollset  6 , Grethe S Tell  3   7
Affiliations
Free article

Heart failure in Norway, 2000-2014: analysing incident, total and readmission rates using data from the Cardiovascular Disease in Norway (CVDNOR) Project

Gerhard Sulo et al. Eur J Heart Fail. 2020 Feb.
Free article

Abstract

Aims: To examine trends in heart failure (HF) hospitalization rates and risk of readmissions following an incident HF hospitalization.

Methods and results: During 2000-2014, we identified in the Cardiovascular Disease in Norway Project 142 109 hospitalizations with HF as primary diagnosis. Trends of incident and total (incident and recurrent) HF hospitalization rates were analysed using negative binomial regression models. Changes over time in 30-day and 3-year risk of HF recurrences or cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related readmissions were analysed using Fine and Grey competing risk regression, with death as competing events. Age-standardized rates declined on average 1.9% per year in men and 1.8% per year in women for incident HF hospitalizations (both Ptrend < 0.001) but did not change significantly in either men or women for total HF hospitalizations. In men surviving the incident HF hospitalization, 30-day and 3-year risk of a HF recurrent event increased 1.7% and 1.2% per year, respectively. Similarly, 30-day and 3-year risk of a CVD-related hospitalization increased 1.5% and 1.0% per year, respectively (all Ptrend < 0.001). No statistically significant changes in the risk of HF recurrences or CVD-related readmissions were observed among women. In-hospital mortality for a first and recurrent HF episode declined over time in both men and women.

Conclusions: Incident HF hospitalization rates declined in Norway during 2000-2014. An increase in the risk of recurrences in the context of reduced in-hospital mortality following an incident and recurrent HF hospitalization led to flat trends of total HF hospitalization rates.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Heart failure; Hospitalization rates; Norway; Readmission rates.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Braunwald E. The war against heart failure: the Lancet lecture. Lancet 2015;385:812-824.
    1. Ezekowitz JA, Kaul P, Bakal JA, Armstrong PW, Welsh RC, McAlister FA. Declining in-hospital mortality and increasing heart failure incidence in elderly patients with first myocardial infarction. J Am Coll Cardiol 2009;53:13-20.
    1. Steenman M, Lande G. Cardiac aging and heart disease in humans. Biophys Rev 2017;9:131-137.
    1. Ezekowitz JA, Kaul P. The epidemiology and management of elderly patients with myocardial infarction or heart failure. Heart Fail Rev 2010;15:407-413.
    1. Dunlay SM, Weston SA, Jacobsen SJ, Roger VL. Risk factors for heart failure: a population-based case-control study. Am J Med 2009;122:1023-1028.

LinkOut - more resources