Heart Failure: A Problem of Our Age (original) (raw)
Related papers
Heart failure: a growing public health problem
Journal of Internal Medicine, 1995
At a time when deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke are markedly declining, mortality from heart failure is increasing. Heart failure is a costly and devastating disease, and throughout much of the industrialized world, escalating health-care costs constitute a serious burden on both public and private systems of financing health care, and about one-third of all heart failure patients are admitted to hospital each year. Both prevalence and incidence of heart failure increase steeply with increasing age. The prevalence rate is about 1% at the age of 50, whilst at the age of 80 and above, almost one out of 10 persons will suffer from heart failure. Until recently, the goals for heart failure treatment were to relieve symptoms and enhance functional capacity. Recently, some large scale studies have shown that ACE inhibitors can reduce mortality, prevent development of heart failure, avoid the need for hospitalization and improve prognosis. ACE inhibitors may therefore have promising effects both on patients and on society. A challenge for the future miist be early recognition and timely and adequate treatment of heart failure. Such a strategy might have great economic benefits as far as public health is concerned. However, the most rewarding efforts for the population will be to prevent the underlying causes of coronary heart failure as well as risk factors for heart failure. This review will study the magnitude of heart failure as a growing public health problem, the underlying causes, risk factors and treatment.
Heart failure: epidemiology, investigation and management
Medicine, 2010
Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by dyspnoea, fatigue and fluid retention accompanied by objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction. The syndrome affects around 2% of the general population, affecting men more commonly than women (under the age of 80), with incidence and prevalence rising steeply with age. HF causes substantial morbidity and reduced life expectancy, and coronary artery disease accounts for two-thirds of cases in developed countries. Investigation is important to ascertain the diagnosis, identify the aetiology (which might be reversible) and give some indication of prognosis. Currently, more than 40% of people die within 18 months of a new diagnosis of HF. Treatment has been revolutionized by large randomized-controlled clinical trials studying the effects of antagonism of the renineangiotensinealdosterone and sympathetic nervous systems, and, more recently, the effects of device therapy. Cardiac transplantation remains an option for patients who are severely symptomatic (and at high risk) despite optimal medical and appropriate device therapy.
Heart Failure Reviews, 2006
With the current epidemic of heart failure (HF), the practicing clinical cardiologist is faced with an overwhelming amount of new information regarding drugs, technologies and emerging concepts aimed at improving the rather dismal outlook traditionally associated with HF patients. The challenge regarding HF patients highlights a vital requirement: that progress achieved by basic researchers must be early and effectively implemented by clinicians in order to translate into results which will be of practical significance for the patient population. In this context, two clinically oriented cardiologists have undertaken to moderate a special issue of Heart Failure Reviews focused on the interaction between basic scientists, clinical researchers, HF experts and general cardiologists. The issue begins with a discussion of the challenge of diagnosis of heart failure in primary care and this is addressed by Candida Fonseca. The author very pertinently points out the "the management of the syndrome in primary care has been hampered by perceived difficulties in diagnosis and in starting and monitoring effective treatment," alluding to the
Epidemiology and aetiology of heart failure
Nature Reviews Cardiology, 2016
Heart failure (HF) is a rapidly growing public health issue with an estimated prevalence of >37.7 million individuals globally. HF is a shared chronic phase of cardiac functional impairment secondary to many aetiologies, and patients with HF experience numerous symptoms that affect their quality of life, including dyspnoea, fatigue, poor exercise tolerance, and fluid retention. Although the underlying causes of HF vary according to sex, age, ethnicity, comorbidities, and environment, the majority of cases remain preventable. HF is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, and confers a substantial burden to the health-care system. HF is a leading cause of hospitalization among adults and the elderly. In the USA, the total medical costs for patients with HF are expected to rise from US$20.9 billion in 2012 to $53.1 billion by 2030. Improvements in the medical management of risk factors and HF have stabilized the incidence of this disease in many countries. In this Review, we provide an overview of the latest epidemiological data on HF, and propose future directions for reducing the ever-increasing HF burden.
Journal of Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology, 2023
In the Asia-Pacific region, heart failure (HF) is associated with significant health and socioeconomic burdens. Despite registry and epidemiological data indicating that HF patients in the Asia-Pacific are younger and have more severe signs and symptoms compared with their counterparts in Western countries, most local guidelines draw their evidence from clinical studies where patients from the Asia-Pacific region are under-represented. 1 Furthermore, regional differences in treatment practices are likely to affect patient outcomes. With this in mind, there is a need for a unified but simple and practical approach to managing chronic HF in the region. Hence, the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology (APSC) developed these consensus
Pathophysiology and Management Chronic Heart Failure
South Asian research journal of biology and applied biosciences, 2022
Chronic heart failure refers to a clinical state of systemic and pulmonary congestion resulting from inability of the heart to pump as much blood as required for the adequate metabolism of the body. The commonest causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, hypertension and diabetes, however, hypertension and diabetes have been found to be stronger risk factors in elderly women and coronary artery disease and smoking are stronger risk factors in elderly men. Pathophysiologically, heart failure is either an inadequate cardiac output for the organism's metabolic demands or an adequate cardiac output that is due to neurohormonal compensation, which means the inability of the heart to supply blood to the tissues according to their needs without additional strain. The pharmacological treatment of chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction is now based on four classes of drugs that have been proven to reduce mortality among heart failure patients such as angiotensinogen converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers, beta-blockers, aldosterone antagonists and sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors. Angiotensinogen converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blocker therapy should be initiated at a low dose with very gradual up titration, monitoring renal function and serum potassium levels closely. Chronic heart failure treatment with direct inhibitors of aldosterone receptors brought about a significant improvement in terms of survival and hospitalizations.
Epidemiology and prognosis of heart failure
Zeitschrift für Kardiologie, 1991
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, and has a prognosis similar to that of several malignancies. There are increasing trends in both prevalence and incidence rates of CHF which points towards CHF becoming a major community health problem. Early detection of CHF is dependent upon criteria to define the initial stages of a condition which progresses slowly over many years. In western countries the dominant causes of CHF are hypertension and coronary heart disease, which account for more than 75% of the cases. Other precursors are diabetes and rheumatic heart disease. Independent risk factors for CHF are hypertension, smoking, obesity, and psychological stress. Early detection of CHF through identification of early symptoms such as dyspnea on exertion, treatment of known heart diseases, and treatment of risk factors may prevent its progress. Epidemiological data indicate that primary preventive efforts should be directed against hypertension, smo...
Global Variations in Heart Failure Etiology, Management, and Outcomes
JAMA
ImportanceMost epidemiological studies of heart failure (HF) have been conducted in high-income countries with limited comparable data from middle- or low-income countries.ObjectiveTo examine differences in HF etiology, treatment, and outcomes between groups of countries at different levels of economic development.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsMultinational HF registry of 23 341 participants in 40 high-income, upper–middle-income, lower–middle-income, and low-income countries, followed up for a median period of 2.0 years.Main Outcomes and MeasuresHF cause, HF medication use, hospitalization, and death.ResultsMean (SD) age of participants was 63.1 (14.9) years, and 9119 (39.1%) were female. The most common cause of HF was ischemic heart disease (38.1%) followed by hypertension (20.2%). The proportion of participants with HF with reduced ejection fraction taking the combination of a β-blocker, renin-angiotensin system inhibitor, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist was highest...