The Heart Failure “Pandemic” in Japan: Reconstruction of Health Care System in the Highly Aged Society

An increase in the number of patients with heart failure is an international health-related problem. In advanced countries, the number of such patients has rapidly increased since the beginning of the 21(st) century, raising an important issue regarding medical practice and public health. In 2010, the concept of “heart failure pandemic” was proposed, and it has been recognized as a global social/economic issue. In particular, the number of elderly patients with heart failure has increased with the rapid aging of society and a decrease in the number of children in Japan. A rapid increase in the number of heart failure patients increases stress and social disease-related/medical economic burdens on individuals and their families. The prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure is unfavorable, and the quality of life markedly reduces. To improve the prognosis of elderly patients with heart failure and reduce the readmission rate, the innovation of a medical-care-providing system for heart failure is required. In addition to the provision of medical practice based on a potent heart failure disease control program, manifold strategies, such as lifestyle improvements, self-care practice, cardiac rehabilitation, and environmental intervention, are essential. It is necessary to innovate hospital-based medical practice to a regional-care-system-based medical care system. In addition, to efficiently promote future heart failure strategies, an investigational study with disease registration must be conducted. Recently a new basic act on countermeasures to cardiovascular diseases has been established which may help the reform for this purpose.