Heart Failure :- What Condition Do People Who Suffer From It Face?

Around 64 million people in the world have been diagnosed with heart failure or insufficiency, which represents one of the most important and growing public health problems in the world, and Central America and Guatemala are no exception.

Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to efficiently pump the amount of blood the body requires or is unable to fill itself with blood; and it can occur due to other pre-existing diseases in the patient, such as high blood pressure or coronary artery disease.

This is a chronic and degenerative condition, and it is one of the cardiovascular diseases that causes the highest risk of hospitalization in adults over 65 years of age. It also has alarming incidence and mortality rates, since half of the patients die five years after their diagnosis. Those who develop this condition may experience a deterioration in their mental and emotional health, and in their quality of life, a situation that can worsen their heart function and even cause death.

The main causes of heart failure include diabetes, a history of heart attack or coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, obesity, heart problems from birth, and high cholesterol. Heart function can also be compromised by other variables such as an inadequate heart rate or physical inactivity.

There is a lack of awareness about this pathology, so the population must be alert and carry out their medical check-ups periodically. We must implement action plans that include education and guidance programs that encourage early detection and adequate treatment, as well as heart failure programs that help patients make informed decisions, control risk and avoid complications in the future, mainly in those people who have other comorbidities such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or some other diagnosed cardiovascular disease.

Our task as health professionals is to create educational spaces where we can have high-level scientific discussions and generate greater awareness about the need to better understand and address cardiovascular diseases in a more comprehensive manner, in order to impact a greater number of people and ensure early diagnosis of conditions such as heart failure.