Heart failure
An estimated 104,900 people aged 18 and over had heart failure in 2017–18, based on self-reported data from the ABS 2017–18 National Health Survey. This corresponds to approximately 0.5% of the adult population. Heart failure predominantly affects older Australians. Two-thirds of adults with heart failure (69,500 people) were aged 65 and over.
Using self-reported data to estimate the number of people with heart failure may under estimate the true burden of this disease, as the early stages are only mildly symptomatic. Heart failure and cardiomyopathy have a considerable impact on the health of Australians. For more information see Hospital care for cardiovascular disease – heart failure and cardiomyopathy.
Rheumatic heart disease
As at 31 December 2018 there were around 5,000 (52 per 100,000 population) living persons with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) recorded on state and territory registers in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia combined. Indigenous Australians accounted for 87% of registered cases of RHD (4,325 diagnoses).
During the 4-year period 2014–2018, there were around 1,963 diagnoses for acute rheumatic fever among Indigenous Australians (95% of all cases). In the same period, there were about 1,300 (59.8 per 100,000 population) RHD diagnoses among Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland combined. The Northern Territory had the highest rate and greatest number of new RHD diagnoses among Indigenous Australians. Almost two-thirds (64%) of new RHD cases among Indigenous Australians were female and nearly 60% of cases were aged under 25 at diagnosis (AIHW 2020).
Congenital heart disease
Congenital heart disease is a common birth anomaly, affecting an estimated 2,400 Australian babies every year. It is a leading contributor to the burden of disease among infants, with cardiovascular defects contributing 6.4% to the total disease burden of babies aged under 1 year in 2015 (AIHW 2019).
Treatment for congenital heart disease has improved over recent decades with improvements in diagnostic testing, surgical techniques and disease management. In 2016–17, there were around 4,900 hospitalisations in Australia where congenital heart disease was the principal diagnosis—a rate of 20 hospitalisations per 100,000 population. The highest rate of hospitalisation for a specific form of congenital heart disease was for atrial septal defect (6.6 hospitalisations per 100,000 population), followed by ventricular septal defect (1.8 hospitalisations per 100,000 population) (AIHW 2019).
References:
ABS 2019a. Microdata: National Health Survey 2017–18. ABS cat. no. 4324.0.55.001. Canberra: ABS. Findings based on AIHW analysis of ABS microdata.
ABS 2019b. National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, Australia, 2018–19. ABS cat. No. 4715.0. Canberra: ABS.
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) 2020. Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in Australia, 2014–2018. Cat. no. CVD 88. Canberra: AIHW. Viewed 20 May 2020.
AIHW 2019. Congenital heart disease in Australia. Cat. no. CDK 14. Canberra: AIHW. Viewed 15 May 2020.