Why the study?
Heart failure affects 64 million people worldwide, but updated global estimates of its incidence are lacking.
What is the updated global incidence rate of heart failure and how does it vary by region, sex, age, and clinical characteristics?
What is the updated global incidence rate of heart failure and how does it vary by region, sex, age, and clinical characteristics?
This meta-analysis provides updated global heart failure incidence estimates, highlighting significant regional disparities and a quadrupling of rates in populations over 50 years old, though limited by a lack of data from low- and middle-income countries.
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Supports earlier HF risk assessment from age 50; extends global incidence benchmarks despite LMIC data gaps.
Introduction: Heart failure (HF) affects 64 million people worldwide, yet updated global estimates of its incidence are lacking. Objective: Conduct a systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis to estimate the global incidence of heart failure and analyze its variations according to geographic region, sex, age, and clinical characteristics. Methodology: A SR was performed in MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, EMBASE, and Web of Science (including SciELO) for observational studies published between 2000 and 2025 reporting HF incidence rates in the general population. Studies with recognized diagnostic criteria (Framingham, ESC, ACC/AHA) or standardized codifications (ICD) were included. The meta-analysis employed a random-effects model with the REML method. Subgroup analyses (sex, age, region, phenotypes) and meta-regression were conducted to explore temporal trends. Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides updated global HF incidence estimates, revealing significant regional disparities and rates quadrupling in the population over 50 years. However, the pooled estimate is predominantly derived from high-income countries, limiting generalizability to low- and middle-income settings.
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Ballena-Caicedo et al. (2026) studied this question.
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