Number of consultations for heart failure per 1,000 inhabitants, 75 years and older
The number of consultations for heart failure has increased from 9,800 in 2015 to just over 23,000 in 2024, a rise of 136%. During the same period, the number of people in Norway aged 75 and older increased by approximately 30%.
In about 30% of consultations in 2024, the patient was a woman.
There is significant geographical variation in consultation rates. In the catchment areas with the highest rates, nearly three times as many consultations per 1,000 inhabitants are performed compared to those with the lowest rates. In 2024, the rate ranged from 21.9 in Førde to 88.1 in Østfold.
The rate for Finnmark remained between 12 and 17 from 2015 to 2022, lower than all other healthcare regions. In 2023, the rate increased to 67, followed by a slight decrease to 65 in 2024, placing it among the higher rates. A possible explanation for this is: "Finnmarkssykehuset startet etableringen av hjertesviktpoliklinikker i 2022, og har i dag slike klinikker i Kirkenes, Alta og Hammerfest." This quote is taken from finnmarkssykehuset.no/nyheter.
The number of consultations per patient was 2.3 in 2024. This figure varied between catchment areas, ranging from 1.7 in Førde and 1.8 in Bergen to 2.9 in Østfold and 3.5 in Lovisenberg.
There was no significant decline related to the pandemic; in some catchment areas, the number of consultations increased, while in others, it decreased.
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 this analysis, consultations from contracted specialists account for just under 5% of the total number of consultations.
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:
The total number of heart failure consultations in Norway was 50,200 in 2024. Of these, 54% 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.
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.
All of the data used in the charts for this analysis can be downloaded as a CSV file.
