[Economic significance of heart failure. An overview of costs and economics of therapy].

The economic burden of congestive heart failure is significant. Approximately 1 to 2% of total health care expenditure is attributed to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of congestive heart failure. A great share of this expenditure is related to the costs of long-term complications and productivity losses. In order to manage these costs, providers and policymakers increasingly have to focus on economically attractive interventions. Pharmacoeconomic analyses aid the systematic selection of cost-effective drug therapy in congestive heart failure in an era of increasing cost-containment.