2024-03-29 14:59:00
Heart failure is a consequence of other diseases
Heart failure occurs when heart function is impaired, when the heart is no longer able to supply the body’s organs with the necessary oxygen and nutrients. According to the doctor, this disease is a consequence of other, mostly cardiovascular diseases.
“Heart failure develops when cardiovascular diseases are left untreated or inadequately treated. This disease is usually caused by high blood pressure (primary arterial hypertension), ischemic heart disease, including myocardial infarction, heart valve disease, and certain heart rhythm disorders such as atrial fibrillation. People of any age can suffer from heart failure, but older patients are at greater risk,” says the specialist.
Sometimes heart failure develops even in completely healthy people, after falling ill with some viral infections that can cause inflammation of the heart muscle – myocarditis, says doctor cardiologist K. Čerlinskaitė-Bajorė.
“Complications of viral diseases can lead to the development of heart failure, but this happens rarely. Heart failure can also be caused by some chronic diseases, such as untreated or poorly treated diabetes,” she says.
The main symptoms that warn about the disease
According to the cardiologist, the main and usually the earliest symptom of heart failure is shortness of breath.
“It is usually felt during physical exertion – a person can no longer do what he used to be able to do, for example, climb the stairs without stopping to rest. Running out of air can also happen on a straight road. Another common symptom of this disease is swelling of the legs.
Other symptoms – fatigue, lack of energy, weakness, heart rhythm disorders, digestive disorders – are also characteristic of other ailments, so if you feel them, you should visit a specialist who will help you find out the true origin of the symptoms. It is especially important to get checked when a person already has a cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, or a myocardial infarction,” says K. Čerlinskaitė-Bajorė.
From 2023 family doctors can order a free NT-proBNP blood test once a year in January. “This test is designed to find out whether the patient is suffering from heart failure already in the presence of symptoms of the disease, but it can also be prescribed if there is a risk of suffering from this disease. If this indicator is increased, the person should be sent to a cardiologist for consultation,” says the doctor.
The doctor distinguishes four stages of heart failure.
“Stage A – when a person does not yet have the disease, but has a high risk of developing it. This group includes all patients with cardiovascular or other chronic diseases that can cause heart failure. This stage is distinguished in order to draw the attention of both patients and doctors to the fact that heart failure can develop if chronic diseases are not properly controlled.
Stage B – when structural and functional changes in the heart muscle are detected, but there are still no symptoms. This stage is called “pre-heart failure”. Such patients should be followed more closely, and appropriate treatment should be given immediately when symptoms appear. Symptoms of the disease appear at stage C. Heart failure is usually diagnosed at this stage. This stage is further divided into four classes according to the severity of the symptoms, from the first, when the symptoms occur only during heavy physical exertion, to the fourth, when the symptoms are bothersome during minimal exertion or at rest.
The last, stage D, represents advanced or treatment-resistant heart failure. These patients should be referred for a heart transplant, and if this method of treatment is no longer available, the patients should be nursed, trying to alleviate the symptoms as much as possible,” the specialist explains about the stages of the disease.
According to her, this disease is dangerous, often even compared to oncological diseases, because when a person gets it, the prognosis can be similar to that of some oncological patients, and sometimes worse.
“Heart failure strongly affects the quality of life of people suffering from it – when you get sick, you need to take a lot of different medications, the disease can cause psychological problems, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. It is also difficult for people with heart failure to engage in physical activity. However, by taking medication and properly controlling the disease, it is possible to return to a fairly normal, normal life,” says doctor cardiologist K. Čerlinskaitė-Bajorė.
The best medicine is prevention
The treatment of heart failure depends on the stage of the disease and the individual assessment of the patient’s health.
“Science is rapidly improving, new medicines are emerging, we have implantable devices with which we can control this disease, improve the quality of life and significantly extend the life expectancy of patients. However, to avoid cardiovascular and other diseases, prevention is key. In order to prevent heart failure, we must first take care of ourselves – eating well, being physically active, giving up bad habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol, monitoring and, if necessary, controlling our blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, as well as maintaining a healthy body weight.
Some groups of drugs, such as statins, also help prevent heart failure. By lowering blood cholesterol, these drugs reduce the risk of heart failure in those at risk. Statins help prevent other cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction and ischemic heart disease, which is very important because ischemic heart disease is the most common cause of heart failure,” the doctor emphasizes the importance of prevention.
According to the specialist, in order to stay healthy, we must first of all rely on simple, but extremely effective methods that help prevent many diseases.
“For some reason, we tend to underestimate the importance of physical activity for our health, although it is an extremely important factor in preventing cardiovascular diseases. Low mobility, sedentary work leads to the occurrence and progression of cardiovascular diseases.
Most people think that they don’t have time for walks or sports, but I think that if you really want to, you can find time for it, for example, going for a walk during your lunch break. Spring has come, the weather is warming up, and movement prolongs life,” concludes cardiologist K. Čerlinskaitė-Bajorė.
2024-03-29 14:59:00