The Natural History of Congestive Heart Failure: The Framingham Study

The natural history of congestive heart failure was studied over a 16-year period in 5192 persons initially free of the disease. Over this period, overt evidence of congestive heart failure developed in 142 persons. In almost every five-year age group, from 30 to 62 years, the incidence rate was greater for men than for women. Although the usual etiologic precursors were found, the dominant one was clearly hypertension, which preceded failure in 75 per cent of the cases. Coronary heart disease was noted at an earlier examination in 39 per cent, but in 29 per cent of the cases it was accompanied by hypertension. Precursive rheumatic heart disease, noted in 21 per cent of cases of congestive heart failure, was accompanied by hypertension in 11 per cent. Despite modern management, congestive heart failure proved to be extremely lethal. The probability of dying within five years from onset of congestive heart failure was 62 per cent for men and 42 per cent for women.