Number of patients with consultations for heart failure per 1,000 inhabitants, 75 years and older
The number of patients increased from 4,700 in 2015 to 10,200 in 2024, representing more than a doubling over the period. During the same period, the number of people in Norway aged 75 and over increased by approximately 35%.
There is significant geographical variation in patient rates in 2024. The lowest rate is in the Innlandet catchment area, with 12.5 patients per 1,000 inhabitants, and the highest in the Sørlandet catchment area, with 30.4.
In 2022,Finnmarkssykehuset began establishing heart failure outpatient clinics. The rate for Finnmark remained between 10 and 12.4 during the period from 2015 to 2022, well below the national average. In 2023, the rate rose to 19, and in 2024 to 24—figures around the national average. While the overall development between these two points resembles that of other catchment areas, the jump in Finnmark occurred in 2023, rather than gradually over time as seen elsewhere.
Almost all catchment areas have experienced a greater increase in the number of patients than in the number of residents during the period. The exception is the catchment area for Diakonhjemmet, where the number of patients has increased by 16%, while the number of residents has grown by 50%.
The number of consultations per patient was 2.3 in 2024. This figure varied between catchment areas, from 1.7 in Førde and 1.8 in Bergen to 2.9 in Østfold and 3.5 in Lovisenberg.
There was no marked decline associated with the pandemic. For some catchment areas, rates increased; for others, they decreased.
The analysis is based on activity data from the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) for somatic specialist health services. The data include activity from public hospitals, private hospitals providing publicly funded services, and contracted specialists with public reimbursement agreements. Comparisons with other sources suggest that reporting to the NPR from contracted specialists may be incomplete. In this analysis, consultations from contracted specialists accounted for just under 5% of the total number of consultations in 2024.
The sample includes outpatient consultations for patients aged 75 and over with a primary diagnosis of heart failure, defined by ICD-10 codes I11.0, I13.0, I13.2, I50.0, I50.1, and I50.9.
The total number of patients receiving heart failure consultations in Norway was 20,000 in 2024. Of these, 43.5% were aged 50–74, and 5.4% were aged 0–49.
To allow for comparisons between catchment areas and over time, the rates have been adjusted for age and sex. The adjustment was carried out using the direct method, with the national population in 2023 as the reference population.
SKDE is solely responsible for the interpretation and presentation of the data provided by the NPR. FHI/NPR is not responsible for any analyses or interpretations based on the data.
All of the data used in the charts for this analysis can be downloaded as a CSV file.
