Heart failure survival rates show no improvement

Survival rates for people suffering from heart failure have not improved since 1998, according to a study led by University of Oxford researchers. Published in Family Practice, The research team looked at routinely collected medical records from 54,313 patients with heart failure and found 81.3% survived for one year, 51.5% survived for five years, and 29.5% survived for 10 years, following diagnosis with the condition. However, between 1998 and 2012, survival rates for people aged over 45 with heart failure showed no improvement, in contrast to cancer survival rates in the UK which have doubled in the last 40 years. Heart failure is a common long-term condition affecting around 900,000 in the UK and represents the second highest cost to the NHS for any disease after stroke. An estimated one to two in every 100 adults in the West currently live with the condition. 'Getting an accurate estimate of heart failure prognosis is vital for those who commission healthcare services, so resources can be allocated appropriately,' commented lead author Dr. Clare Taylor, a primary care researcher at the University of Oxford. 'Perhaps more importantly,' said Taylor, 'this allows patients to make more informed choices about treatments and possible end-of-life care.