Chronic-heart-failure
Heart failure is a serious health problem that affects 26 to
40 million people worldwide and is on the rise. Although progress has been made
in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, mortality and treatment costs
for heart failure patients are very high and quality of life is low.
The term "heart failure" refers to a condition in
which the ventricles of the heart are impaired, thus reducing the heart's
ability to provide the body with adequate blood circulation and tissue
metabolism. Heart failure is a clinical syndrome (a set of symptoms or
complaints) characterized by complaints such as shortness of breath, swelling
of the ankles, fatigue and the following symptoms - audible lung noise, fast
heartbeat, high pressure in the jugular veins.
Patients with chronic heart failure have persistently
progressive clinical signs and symptoms. Those who receive the required therapy
and whose symptoms do not change for at least one month are patients with stable
chronic heart failure, however, if the condition of these patients worsens, the
term decompensated chronic heart failure is used. Deterioration can occur both
rapidly and slowly, and hospitalization is often required.
Heart failure occurs in about 2% of the adult population in
developed countries, with an incidence of more than 10% over the age of 70.
Worryingly, 33% of men and 28% of women are 55% likely to develop heart
failure. In addition, one in six people over the age of 65 who seek help from
their GP for shortness of breath has unrecognized heart failure.
The most common causes of heart failure
It would be important to understand that heart failure
cannot be the only diagnosis. It is a set of symptoms that occur due to a heart
disease, most often:
• Coronary heart disease (a circulatory disorder caused by a
narrowing of the blood vessels in the heart, which prevents the heart muscle
from receiving oxygenated blood). Especially after myocardial infarction, which
is one of the manifestations of coronary heart disease, when the risk of
developing heart failure is 8 to 10 times higher;
• Arterial hypertension (high blood pressure), which is the
main risk factor to be modified or reduced.
• Valve damage (valve narrowing or insufficiency);
• Cardiomyopathies (inherited diseases of the heart muscle);
• Inflammation of the heart muscle or other rare diseases.
Coronary heart disease, arterial hypertension and valvular
disease are more common causes of heart failure in the elderly.
Symptoms and signs of heart failure
Symptoms of heart failure are non-specific, so they can
often be a sign of other types of disease. Symptoms are particularly difficult
to interpret in overweight patients as well as in patients with chronic lung
disease. The most common symptoms of heart failure are shortness of breath,
weakness and bilateral swelling of the legs.
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