Heart failure Frequently early symptoms of fatal syndrome

Active against hypertension and heart attack
In heart failure (heart failure) patients suffer from a weakened performance of the heart. The pumping power is weakened depending on the progress of the disease. In Germany, about 2 to 3 million people suffer from heart failure. Here, the suffering is not an independent disease, but the result of other heart diseases.

Heart failure from coronary heart disease
In about 70% of cases, heart failure develops from coronary heart disease (CHD) - usually as a result of one or more heart attacks - and long-term high blood pressure, which is not or not adequately treated. Every third adult in Germany has high blood pressure (20 million affected persons). "If left untreated, the heart is in danger of serious consequences, because the chronic pressure load thickens the heart muscle. The heart becomes bigger, but not more efficient, but weaker, "warns cardiologist Prof. Dr. med. med. Thomas Voigtländer, board member of the German Heart Foundation, on the occasion of the nationwide Herzwochen with over 1,000 events and information about the heart failure. Typical symptoms of heart failure are shortness of breath, poor performance and fluid retention in the legs and ankles (edema).

Heart failure is a result of other heart conditions. (Image: Adiano / fotolia.com)

Hypertension: How to escape the high pressure heart?
High blood pressure leads in the long run due to the thickening of the heart muscle and its loss of elasticity to a filling disorder of the left ventricle: too little blood is ejected into the body and the organism is no longer sufficiently supplied with oxygen and nutrients. High blood pressure is the most common cause of diastolic heart failure (filling disorder of the left ventricle). In high age and with a previously damaged heart, high blood pressure can also trigger a life-threatening acute heart failure and strengthen. "High-pressure patients protect themselves best from cardiac insufficiency by consistently lowering their blood pressure below 140/90 mmHg, and patients over the age of 80 are tolerated below 150/90 mmHg," advises the cardiologist. "Consistently lowering elevated blood pressure through a healthy lifestyle, especially endurance exercise, reduction of obesity, and consistent use of antihypertensive drugs is a particularly effective preventive of chronic heart failure."

Heart failure by KHK: Time savings in heart attack saves heart muscle
In CHD, heart failure usually develops after several heart attacks or extensive myocardial infarction and the resulting destruction of myocardial tissue. In order to prevent a heart attack, the treatment of CHD by medication, catheter surgery or bypass surgery is necessary to re-activate poorly perfused tissue and thus to remove heart failure from the floor. If it comes to a heart attack, the medicine can minimize the infarct-related damage to the heart or even prevent - if treated quickly. "The sooner we treat a heart attack patient at the clinic, the more pumping power the heart can receive. For this reason, if the heart attack alarm signal occurs, the emergency doctor must be called immediately with the 112 emergency call, "says Prof. Voigtländer.

Healthy lifestyle halves risk for heart failure
Studies show that our current lifestyle is the main cause of CHD and also a major contributor to the development of high blood pressure. An observational study of more than 20,000 American physicians (Djoussé et al., JAMA 2009) found that those who lived healthily (including body weight below 25 body mass index (BMI), abstinence from smoking, regular stamina activity five days a week, moderate alcohol consumption ) halved her risk of heart failure. Also, a high genetic risk of heart attack and cardiac death can be significantly reduced by a healthy lifestyle (Khera A., et al NEJM 2016). Therefore, anyone between the ages of 40 and 50, or even earlier if they have a family history, should have their blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood glucose checked regularly to discover early the risk factors for heart disease (high blood pressure, lipid metabolism disorders, diabetes). If treated in time, you protect yourself from heart attack, stroke and heart failure. (Sb)

Tip: The guide "The weak heart: diagnosis and therapy of heart failure today" can be requested free of charge at www.herzstiftung.de/herzschwaeche-therapie or by phone at 069 955128400 or by e-mail at [email protected]. The volume provides easy-to-understand information about prevention as well as current diagnostic and treatment options for heart failure.