Heart failure – contacts per 1,000 inhabitants, 75 years and older
Discussion
The figures show a substantial increase in both patients and consultations over the study period. The number of patients rose from 4,700 in 2015 to 10,800 in 2025, while the number of consultations increased from 10,000 to 24,700. The age and sex-adjusted rate also increased overall during the period, although it has levelled off in recent years. In 2025, there were 21.3 patients per 1,000 residents aged 75 years and over, and 28.3 consultations per 1,000 residents.
There was considerable geographical variation in patient rates in 2025. The lowest rates were observed in the catchment areas of Innlandet and Førde, with 13.2 patients per 1,000 residents, while the highest rates were found in the catchment areas of Helgeland (30.7) and Østfold (30.8). Consultation rates ranged from 22 consultations per 1,000 residents in the Førde catchment area to 89 in the Østfold catchment area.
The Finnmark catchment area experienced a marked increase in the number of patients in this age group from 2022 onwards. Patient numbers rose from 71 in 2022 to 210 in 2025. This increase may be linked to the establishment of three heart failure outpatient clinics in 2023.
Men accounted for 65% of patients and 69% of consultations. These proportions have increased over time, reflecting the growing share of men aged 75 years and over in the population. Men also had a higher average number of consultations per patient than women. In 2025, men had an average of 2.4 consultations per patient, compared with 2.1 for women. This represents an increase from 2015, when the corresponding figures were 2.2 for men and 1.9 for women.
The analysis is based on activity data from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) for somatic specialist healthcare services. The data includes activity from public hospitals, private hospitals providing publicly funded services, and contracted specialists with public funding agreements. Comparisons with other sources suggest that reporting to NPR from contracted specialists is incomplete. For the purposes of this analysis, consultations provided by private specialists under contract accounted for 6.3% of the total number of consultations during the period 2015-2025.
The sample includes outpatient consultations for patients aged 75 and older with a primary diagnosis of heart failure, defined by the ICD-10 codes I11.0, I13.0, I13.2, I50.0, I50.1, and I50.9.
Where the patient was treated is divided into three categories:
- Own health trust: Treated at one of the hospitals in the catchment area
- Other health trust: Treated at a hospital outside the catchment area
- Private: Treated at a private hospital or by a contract specialist
The total number of heart failure consultations in Norway was 50,300 in 2024. Of these, 53% were for patients younger than 75 years.
To allow comparisons between catchment areas and across years, the rates are adjusted for gender and age. The adjustment was performed using the direct method, with the country’s 2023 population as the reference population.
In graphs with patient‑aggregated data, the numbers are adjusted to avoid double‑counting patients. The actual number of patients is therefore higher when looking at a single variable for a focus area. For example, patients who have received both private and public treatment during a year are counted only once in total, which means that the number of patients in private treatment will be underreported.
SKDE is solely responsible for the interpretation and presentation of the data provided by NPR. FHI/NPR is not responsible for analyses or interpretations based on these data.