Lifetime risk of heart muscle disease was 2.5% in Sweden
The nationwide cohort estimated a 2.50% lifetime risk, with risk 50% higher in men than women.
Limit: Lifetime risk was estimated from 2003 to 2023 data rather than lifelong follow-up
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Among 13.6 million people born in 1922 or later who lived in Sweden between 2003 and 2023, researchers studied cardiomyopathies, a group of heart muscle diseases. The observational cohort study used nationwide registers and identified 58,735 people diagnosed with these conditions.
The estimated lifetime risk was 2.50%, with risk 50% higher in men than women. Cardiomyopathy was associated with an average of 8.7 life-years lost. The age-adjusted rate of new diagnoses of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which thickens the heart muscle, rose 80% over time. Rising diagnosis rates were most pronounced in older age groups.
Why it matters
Heart muscle disease in older age raises questions about when to detect it and whom to target for prevention. The researchers called for early detection strategies, targeted prevention and further research into underlying drivers.
Caveats
Lifetime risk was estimated using statistical models and registry data from 2003 to 2023, rather than lifelong follow-up. This observational study did not establish why diagnosis rates changed.
The paper
Lifetime risk of cardiomyopathy in the general population: a nationwide cohort study from Sweden
Lund University; Sahlgrenska Academy
ESC Congress 2026 Abstract, Oct 26, 2026
Presented at ESC Congress 2026
