Heart Failure

Close to 6 million Americans live with heart failure, and each of their hospitalizations for the condition carries an average cost of $11,500, or $11 billion in total costs each year.

There could be a 46% spike in the incidence of heart failure in the United States by 2030, bringing the total to more than 8 million adults living with the condition and an approximate $69.6 billion hit to the economy.

Despite a decline in deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD) in the United States over the past 40 years, CHD is still the top cause of mortality in the United States—especially in low-income counties.

Heart failure is a complicated disease to manage, requiring coordination of these outcomes-related measurements: weight, blood pressure, glycemic index, and medication and diet adherence. Close to half of all patients do not reach the 5-year survival mark after the condition is diagnosed.

To aid in the treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD), women are more likely to use preventive measures while men are typically treated with surgical interventions. Women are also less likely to die from CVD than men, according to recent study results published in The Lancet.

Being uninsured carries with it a host of adverse health consequences, including more advanced stages of disease when seeing a physician, avoidable deaths, and not receiving lifesaving treatments for conditions such as heart failure.

By 2030, the World Health Organization estimates that 82 million individuals worldwide will be affected by dementia, up from 50 million in 2017 and a 64% increase in prevalence in just 13 years. It is well established that cardiovascular health and cognitive decline are interrelated.

The worldwide fatality rate from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) now exceeds 7%, and more than 3 million cases have been reported. Cardiovascular disease is a well-known factor for increasing the risk of contracting this sometimes deadly virus.

Patients hospitalized due to acute decompensated heart failure have both a higher rate of annual mortality, compared with patients who have chronic ambulatory heart failure, and of dying within 6 months of hospital release.

The paper appeared a few months before the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial revealed the potential of a new drug class, the SGLT2 inhibitors, in preventing hospitalization for heart failure.

The FDA approved AstraZeneca’s Farxiga (dapagliflozin) for the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in adults with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D). It's the first SGLT2 inhibitor to gain this approval in what is expected to be the next front of competition in this game-changing drug class.

More than 26 million individuals worldwide live with heart failure every day. Because the condition is irreversible, finding ways and treatments to remedy this damage has long been a goal of physician-researchers.

There is a 15% to 20% greater chance of death in the 90 days following a hospitalization for heart failure among patients with Medicare compared with the general population. Social determinants of health (SDOH) are an influencing factor of this rate.

The risk of both heart attack and stroke increases 2- to 3-fold among individuals with comorbid diabetes and cardiovascular issues; however, recent study results show improved odds of both not occurring, as well as less of a risk of hospitalization for heart failure or lower extremity amputation.

In the United States, heart failure affects a patient population of over 6.5 million. Through medication management, transportation, and emotional support, among the many tasks they assist with, these patients’ caregivers provide services valued at $7.9 billion annually.

As more patients with heart disease live longer, physicians need better tools to assess frailty in those with heart failure. New study results suggest a multidimensional assessment approach is preferable to one that focuses only on physical metrics.

Despite positive results seen from the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in some patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), concern is mounting about how these drugs affect patients’ cardiovascular health, specifically the heart.

The chemical symbol for iron is Fe, which stems from the Latin word for iron, Ferrum. Therefore, it is easy to see the connection on how ferritin is the protein responsible for iron storage and release in the body and transferrin is the protein responsible for transporting that iron.

Does patient representation in trials of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) correlate with epidemiologic studies of patients with the condition? According to recent results published in JAMA Cardiology, older patients, women, and black patients continue to be underrepresented in ACS trials.

Almost 70% of the world’s population could be living in urban areas, being continuously exposed to air pollution, by 2050, while cases of dementia are expected to triple. Recent study results highlight the link between cardiovascular disease and dementia, as mediated by long-term exposure to air pollution.

Dapagliflozin is currently indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). In the United States, it is also approved to reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure in patients with T2D and established cardiovascular (CV) disease or multiple CV risk factors.

Pregnancy complications that include preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, pre-term birth, and low birthweight serve as possible indicators for greater risk of heart failure in the long term, as indicated by change in global longitudinal strain on echocardiogram.

Evidence is considered lacking on the association between mortality and patients who have both cardiac injury and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Is the rate of death higher among these patients compared with patients without cardiac disease who have COVID-19?

Are coding changes responsible for declines in the 30-day mortality rate for hospital admissions among veterans utilizing Veterans Health Administration medical centers? Which model is more accurate at predicting this measure: a claims-based model or a clinical factor–based model?

By 2030, heart failure—which tops the list of reasons for hospitalization among individuals older than 65 years—could tax the healthcare system $69.8 billion each year. Study results show the success of palliative care at reducing both healthcare costs and hospitalization.