Dr Tilak Suvarna, senior cardiologist at Asian Heart Institute
Heart failure is a condition in which a weakened heart is unable to pump the normal amount of blood carrying oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Heart failure cannot be termed as a disease but is a chronic syndrome that generally develops slowly. If the heart failure is mild, it may not significantly affect a person’s lifestyle and day-to-day living.
The general notion is heart failure means that the heart has stopped working or will eventually stop working.
Heart failure was associated with older people, but not anymore. With smoking and drinking beginning at the age of 14, and no commitment to exercise, our society is living in epidemic mode.
Startling Heart Failure Figures
- The prevalence of heart failure increases with the age from less than 1 per cent in the 20-39 year old age group to over 20 per cent in the people age 80 yr. or older.
- The life time risk of developing heart failure is estimated at about 20 % both men and women
- The lifetime risk of developing heart failure at the age of 40 yrs is 11.4 per cent for men and 15.4 per cent for women
- More than 500,000 new cases are diagnosed each year
- Around 30 to 40 % of patients die from heart failure within 1 year after diagnosis.
Many people with heart failure remain undiagnosed because their symptoms are often overlooked, ignored, or attributed to aging and in today’s times often attributed to excess stress. In the early stages, heart failure may not have any symptoms; however, in later stages it will become severe.
Here are some reasons why you could face heart failure.
Chronic high blood pressure- When the blood pressure is very high, the heart has to work much harder to pump blood through the arteries. This results in enlargement of the heart, especially the left ventricle, which is the heart’s main pumping chamber, making it less efficient.
Coronary artery disease- The buildup of cholesterol and fatty substances or plaque on the walls of the arteries may decrease the blood supply to the heart muscle to do its work.
A previous heart attack- the heart muscle may have lost its strength or weakened because of a previous heart attack. During a heart attack, the heart muscle is deprived of oxygen, resulting in tissue death and scarring. The development of heart failure depends on the extent and location of the scarring.
Diseased heart valves- A narrowed or leaking heart valve fails to direct blood flow properly through the heart. The problem may be something you were born with, an inherited condition, or the result of an infection.
Irregular heart rate- medically known as cardiac arrhythmia, irregular heart rates can lead to heart failure, but they usually have to be severe and last a long time. They change the pattern of filling and pumping of blood from the heart.
Cardiomyopathy- Disease of the heart muscle itself can lead to heart failure. Causes of cardiomyopathy include diabetes mellitus, infection, alcohol abuse, cocaine abuse, and family predisposition.
A treatment plan for heart failure may vary from person to person. It’s important to take adequate medical treatment at the onset of this condition itself.
Some of the common plans may include some or all of the following:
- Medications to strengthen your heart’s pumping action help blood flow better through blood vessels, or regulate your heartbeat
- Changes in the amount of your physical activity
- Setting limits on the amount of salt and fat in your diet
- Losing weight if necessary
- Reducing your fluid intake, if necessary
While heart failure is a serious condition, it is not necessarily the death sentence that its name suggests. Thousands of heart failure patients live well with this condition.
Though it cannot be cured, it can be successfully managed with your doctor’s help and advances in medical technology, the patient can feel better and subsequently see their quality of life improving.
