4 myths about heart failure

New Delhi, Sep 30 Do you also think that heart failure means the heart has stopped? There are several common myths about heart failure that people believe to be true. To better understand heart disease and bust common misconceptions, read on.

Roughly 8 to 10 million individuals in India alone suffer from heart failure. It is a serious, chronic, progressive condition, with a significantly associated burden. However, despite heart failure being a major public health challenge in our country, it remains poorly understood and neglected.

Vishal Rastogi, Additional Director, Cardiac Sciences, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi said, "Heart failure is a growing concern in India. In our hospital, we see about 20 patients visit the hospital with heart failure-related complications every month. However, there are several barriers to early diagnosis and care, including certain misconceptions and lack of awareness. Educating people on heart failure would help facilitate increased understanding and ability to identify symptoms and risk factors; thus, enabling timely detection. This can support the effective management of heart failure in its early stages. Thereby alleviating patients' symptoms and reducing hospital visits, empowering them to live longer with an improved quality of life."

Myth: Heart failure is the same as a heart attack.

Fact: While heart failure and heart attacks, both fall under the category of cardiovascular diseases, they vary immensely. A heart attack refers to a sudden blockage of blood flow to your heart. On the other hand, heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition wherein the heart is unable to pump blood efficiently.

However, a heart attack can cause heart failure, alongside various other heart failure risk factors, including other heart diseases, hypertension, lung or kidney disease, diabetes, obesity or unhealthy lifestyle patterns.

Myth: Heart failure has no warning signs.

Fact: There are several symptoms associated with heart failure that one should be aware of, in addition to identifying risk factors, such as family history and comorbid conditions, that can predispose you to increased risk of heart failure.

The most typical signs include breathlessness or dyspnea, fatigue, tiredness, increased time taken to recover after an exercise, and ankle swelling. Slightly less typical symptoms include wheezing, nocturnal cough, bloating feeling, confusion, palpitations, depression, dizziness, an irregular pulse, loss of appetite and a temporary loss of consciousness