Abstract
South Asia (SA) is both the most populous and the most densely populated geographical region in the world. The countries in this region are undergoing epidemiological transition and are facing the double burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases. Heart failure (HF) is a major and increasing burden all over the world. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology of HF in SA today and its impact in the health system of the countries in the region. There are no reliable estimates of incidence and prevalence of HF (heart failure) from this region. The prevalence of HF which is predominantly a disease of the elderly is likely to rise in this region due to the growing age of the population. Patients admitted with HF in the SA region are relatively younger than their western counterparts. The etiology of HF in this region is also different from the western world. Untreated congenital heart disease and rheumatic heart disease still contribute significantly to the burden of HF in this region. Due to epidemiological transition, the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity and smoking is on the rise in this region. This is likely to escalate the prevalence of HF in South Asia. We also discuss potential developments in the field of HF management likely to occur in the nations in South Asia. Finally, we discuss the interventions for prevention of HF in this region
Highlights
We discuss potential developments in the field of Heart failure (HF) management likely to occur in the nations in South Asia
Heart failure most likely contributes to significant disease burden in South Asia
With the increasing prevalence of risk factors in the region the burden of HF is likely to rise in the coming years
Summary
They have considered the prevalence estimates for the year 2000 from India and used the yearly HF incidence rates for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and suggested that every year, 120 000-690 000 Indians could develop symptomatic HF secondary to CHD. Based on 2001 population data, assuming a lowest estimate of 0.21%, the number of patients with RHD in the age group 5-40 years in India is calculated to be about 1.4 million [17]. Huffman and Prabhakaran report that the estimated prevalence of HF in India, due to CHD, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and RHD alone in 2000 ranges from 1.3 million to 4.6 million, with an annual incidence ranging from 491,600 to 1.8 million [3].
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