Having a pacemaker is a safe, low-risk and effective operation - with no upper age limit - and I'm confident it could improve the lives of many people.
Dr Klaus Witte
Consultant Cardiologist, Leeds General Infirmary
Facts and Figures
- Heart failure is more common than most cancers, including breast, testicular, cervical and bowel cancers.
- Approximately 14 million people suffer from heart failure in Europe.
- Each year, 2 to 3 individuals per 1,000 of the population develop heart failure.
- The frequency of heart failure increases with age with an incidence of 10 to 40 per 1,000 in those aged 75 years and over.
- Patients with moderate to severe heart failure have a poorer quality of life than individuals with chronic lung disease, arthritis or other cardiac conditions, such as angina.
- Survival rates for individuals with moderate to severe heart failure are worse than for most cancers and HIV, with around 40% of heart failure patients dying within one year of diagnosis.
- Just 25% of men and 38% of women live longer than 5 years after diagnosis.
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