Heart failure is definitely a serious disease - its symptoms can make it very difficult to function normally, and its treatment may require a heart transplant. It is most often found in the elderly, but it can also develop in much younger people. What might be the causes of heart failure at a young age and what can be done to reduce the risk of developing the disease?
Table of contents:
- Who suffers from heart failure?
- Possible causes of heart failure at a young age
- Symptoms of heart failure
- Treatment of heart failure
- Prevention of heart failure
Heart failure is directly related to the fact that the organ ceases to be able to perform its role properly and the supply of blood to the body's various organs simply becomes insufficient. The problem is definitely a serious one, because just as the initial symptom may be a slight deterioration in exercise tolerance, in the more advanced stages of the disease the patient may experience shortness of breath even at rest.
Who suffers from heart failure?
Heartfailure mainly occurs in older people. Primarily, but not exclusively - the onset of the disease in much younger people, even those in their second decade of life, is unfortunately entirely possible. At the same time, it is a relatively rare problem in this age group - it is estimated that of all heart failure cases, 1 in 1000 affects someone in their late 20s.
Possible causes of heart failure at a young age
The main problems that favour heart failure are coronary heart disease and hypertension. In addition to these, people struggling with:
- obesity
- obstructive sleep apnoea,
- severe lung disease,
- diabetes,
- hyperthyroidism,
- anaemia (poses a risk of heart failure especially if it lasts for a long time),
- heart rhythm disturbances.
The above-mentioned problems may favour heart failure in both younger and older people. In young patients, other factors may also be responsible for the development of the condition - cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, or late manifestations of congenital heart defects. Heart failure can also develop as a result of damage to the heart muscle caused by psychoactive substances (e.g. alcohol or drugs) used by the patient, and it can also occur during pregnancy.
Symptoms of heart failure
The symptoms of heartfailure vary greatly, depending on the exact part of the heart that fails and how quickly the disease progresses. Usually, the first symptom patients notice is exertional dyspnoea , which initially occurs after more intense, and later even after considerably less intense, exertion. Eventually, the patient may first experience dyspnoea during exercise or brisk walks, and later on during normal walking in the flat, or - in the case of severe heart failure - even while sitting or lying down.
Symptoms of heart failure are generally very non-specific - patients may experience the following during the course of the disease:
- a feeling of chronic fatigue
- cough
- weakness,
- problems with concentration,
- cyanosis (especially noticeable in the mouth or fingers),
- abdominal pains,
- drowsiness,
- nausea
- increased frequency of urination,
- loss of appetite,
- weight gain (however, here it is worth mentioning that in significantly advanced heart failure patients may experience weight loss),
- oedema.
Treatment of heart failure
Heart failure is best prevented, but once it has developed in a patient, it is definitely necessary to treat it. Usually the therapy is multifactorial and the therapeutic interventions may focus on various aspects - in some patients, causal treatment is necessary, e.g. correction of valvular heart defects or restoration of proper blood circulation in the coronary vessels using revascularisation procedures.
Patients with heart failure receive both pharmacological and surgical treatment, in addition to which appropriate non-pharmacological management is very important. Among the drugs that are recommended for patients struggling with the disease are agents that fall into the group of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers and aldosterone antagonists.
Pharmacotherapy alone in heart failure patients is definitely not enough - the non-pharmacological interventions mentioned earlier are very important for patients' health. Patients are advised to limit their salt intake, engage in regular physical activity (tailored to their capabilities), as well as flu or pneumococcal vaccination. They are also advised to avoid certain medications, including glucocorticosteroids, tricyclic antidepressants and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Sometimes there is a need for surgical treatment of heart failure. This may involve implantation of leads into the heart (known as cardiac resynchronisation therapy), or even a heart transplant may be necessary in patients with very severe disease.
Prevention of heart failure
It is simply not possible to completely reduce the risk of heart failure, but there are ways to minimise it as much as possible. In order to do this, it is important to treat the conditions that favour the development of the disease , such as hypertension, lipid metabolism disorders and obesity, among others.
