ABSTRACT
PREVALENCE The true prevalence of cardiomyopathy in the elderly may be underestimated because of the low sensitivity of the clinical criteria, particularly in milder cases. Data from the Framingham study demonstrate that the incidence of heart failure is 10% in patients older than 80 years of age as compared with only 1% in patients who are in their sixth decade (1). Approximately one-third of those identified expire within 2 years of diagnosis. The annual incidence in men aged 85-95 years was noted to be 4.4%, with a doubling of incidence noted with each 10 years of age, making heart failure the leading primary diagnosis in hospitalized elderly patients (1,2).
