Basic Heart Failure Facts
Heart Failure (also called HF, Congestive Heart Failure or CHF) is a “syndrome”: a group of symptoms and physical problems that may result from coronary artery disease, hypertension, inflammatory processes and many other problems.
Heart Failure (also called HF, Congestive Heart Failure or CHF) is a “syndrome”: a group of symptoms and physical problems that may result from coronary artery disease, hypertension, inflammatory processes and many other problems.
In heart failure the heart is unable to deliver sufficient blood and oxygen to tissues throughout the body for normal function. Persons with heart failure have the build-up of fluid or edema in the body, shortness of breath, and fatigue.
Heart failure is increasingly prevalent in older individuals many of whom have other coexisting health problems and limitations in function. Almost 5 million people in the United States have heart failure, and over 500,000 people are newly diagnosed with heart failure each year. In the United States, over a quarter of a million persons die from heart failure or related problems each year.
Many persons with heart failure may not be aware that the disease commonly leads to death. The course of the illness is unpredictable. People with heart failure may die relatively suddenly while they seem to be doing well, or the illness may extend for years with severe limitation in function over a long period of time before death.
It is difficult to predict when someone with heart failure will die. For some patients who have advanced heart failure the focus of their care will be to prolong their lives, while also providing supportive care to them and their families. For others, no treatment will be effective in changing the progress of the illness, and our focus will be to palliate (relieve) symptoms and try to make the quality of their life as good as possible. Palliative care is medical, nursing, social and spiritual care directed at enhancing function and the quality of life when we know an illness is life-limiting.
Created: December 15, 2003 12:25
Last updated: September 21, 2008 08:24