[아이뉴스24 정종오 기자] The heart beats more than 100,000 times every day and delivers blood containing oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. to sustain life. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart cannot deliver enough blood due to deterioration of heart function due to structural and functional abnormalities of the heart. In the terminal stage, the mortality rate is higher than that of cancer.
The most common symptoms of heart failure are shortness of breath, difficulty breathing even with even small movements. Chronic fatigue, swelling of the body, and indigestion also appear. There are various causes of dyspnea, including not only heart disease, but also respiratory disease.
If it is difficult to breathe while lying down, but if you feel better if you sit down or if you suddenly have difficulty breathing at night, it is highly likely that you have shortness of breath due to heart failure. He complains of severe fatigue even with small tasks and noticeably decreases his motor ability. Sudden weight gain may also occur.
Heart failure is known to account for 1% of the total population under the age of 60, but it is more than 12.6% of the population over 80 years of age, and the prevalence increases rapidly with age. Common causes of heart failure include coronary artery disease, such as angina pectoris or myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, hypertension, diabetes, anemia, and kidney disease.
Obesity, smoking, and excessive drinking are risk factors for heart failure. In the case of cardiomyopathy such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy, there may be genetic factors. Blood tests, X-rays, electrocardiography, and echocardiography are performed for diagnosis. Depending on the cause, exercise stress test, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and coronary angiography are sometimes performed.
Treatment for heart failure varies depending on the cause. If there is no structural heart disease that requires surgery or procedure, drug treatment is performed. Recently, various drugs that improve the survival rate have been continuously developed. If there is no improvement after drug treatment, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) may be considered as a surgical treatment for some patients.
To prevent sudden death, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is sometimes used. Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) or heart transplantation may be considered in patients with end-stage heart failure who do not respond to drug and surgical treatment.
Hye-moon Jeong, professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Kyunghee University Hospital, said, “Heart failure is not a curable disease, but through steady management, the risk of developing symptoms of heart failure can be lowered to improve the quality of life and prolong life. , blood pressure control is very important.”
Exercise significantly reduces the risk of heart failure. Aerobic exercise is recommended, and it is recommended to do it 3 to 5 times a week for at least 30 minutes. If you are tired, you can do it in 5-10 minute increments. For heart failure patients, it is generally recommended to consume less than 7-8 g of salt per day.
Avoid eating broth if possible, and be careful as bread and noodles contain a significant amount of salt. Smoking cessation and alcohol consumption are essential, and treatment for hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, anemia, depression, and sleep apnea, which are common in heart failure patients, should also be used in combination.
Professor Hye-moon Jeong said, “If you are diagnosed with heart failure, it is good to check the degree of breathlessness, swelling of the hands and feet, and weight gain every day.” If this stuffy and painful pain persists, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible,” he advised.
/Reporter Jeong Jong-oh (ikokid@inews24.com)
