Heart failure, according to experts, is the number one cause of death in over 65s

by time news

Health, heart failure is the leading cause of death in the over 65 age group. About three times more frequent than heart attack, it is in third place for the number of hospitalizations

They call it the “decompensation paradox” and it is a rather alarming fact: in the face of significant improvements in the prognosis of individual heart conditions (ischemic heart disease, arterial hypertension, valvular and congenital heart disease, etc.) there is a increasing prevalence from heart failure. It is approx 3 times more frequent than heart attack, and is in third place in the ranking of the number of hospitalizations and in first place for days of hospitalization. Among the over 65s it is the leading cause of death. It was the main theme of the seventh annual conference of the Italian Heart Failure Association (Aisc).

“In the meeting we highlighted the emerging requests in relation to the NRP so that we can outline a new model of home, territorial and hospital assistance thanks to the implementation of new remote assistance and telemedicine technologies as resources that integrate and do not replace the relationship with the attending physician and the multidisciplinary team ”he underlines Salvatore Di Somma, director of the scientific committee of the association.

“It is in this framework that the new guidelines which represent, in addition to a change in approach to the management of the patient with heart failure, a taking charge of the patient from the moment of diagnosis with the implementation of all the categories of drugs recommended in the shortest possible time and a personalization of the therapy “, adds Di Somma.

In the same direction, the indication to create multidisciplinary and multidimensional models of management and long-term care of patients with HF that take into account the individual local realities and the needs of the patient in the different phases of the disease in order to reduce the frequent hospitalizations and consequent mortality.

Heart failure, with right therapy life expectancy on 8 years

In a recent article on Lancet it was pointed out that with a correct application of modifying therapies there could be a 60% decrease in cases and an 8-year increase in life expectancy. For patients with heart failure the key point it is precisely adherence to treatments and close monitoring. In this regard it has expressed itself Maria Rosaria Di Somma, Aisc councilor: “It is essential – he says – to make the model that integrates telemedicine in chronic diseases ordinary. To do this, it is necessary to remove two obstacles: the definition of the rates that these services pay (from telemonitoring to consultation up to rehabilitation) and the obstacles of the privacy law that must adapt to new health technologies “.

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