A new report by researchers at Drexel University says that heart failure poses an especially large public health burden and represents a new epidemic of cardiovascular disease. According to the authors, heart failure affects nearly 5.8 million people in the United States, and more than 23 million people worldwide. The reports notes that more than 550,000 individuals in the United States are diagnosed annually with heart failure for the first time, and that one-in-five have a lifetime risk of developing the syndrome.