Clinical epidemiology of heart failure.

Heart failure (HF) is rapidly becoming one of the most prevalent cardiovascular disorders; the incidence of HF is expected to continue to increase in the years to come. The peculiarities of the syndrome require special approaches from the point of view of both clinical management and research methodology. As far as clinical management, new models based on a multidisciplinary approach and continuity of care should be implemented. The methodology of epidemiological research should take into account the complexity of the syndrome, the high frequency of comorbid conditions, the advanced age of typical patients, and the spreading of HF patients among different health care providers and specialists. In this paper, a general epidemiological view of HF is reported and studies of clinical epidemiology carried out in Italy in the area of HF are described. (c) 1999 by CHF, Inc.