This week marks the third week of the global Heart Awareness Month, celebrated across the world every September.
As has become customary, the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA) dedicates the entire month placing the spotlight on heart awareness, with the aim to make a significant impact on heart disease awareness and reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Throughout the month, the HSFSA is focusing on heart failure (HF) and its key risk factors. Over the four-week period, each week will have an exclusive but related theme on HF. The themes are as follows: what is heart failure (week 1); the causes of heart failure (week 2); management of heart failure and living with heart failure (week 3); and diabetes type 2 and other risk factors for heart failure (week 4).
This week we zoom into the third sub-theme: Management of HF and living with HF.
When treating and managing HF the goal is to help patients live longer, prevent hospital admissions, decrease symptoms and improve quality of life.
HF is, to a large extent, not curable but manageable. It is, however, possible that in the event that a disease or condition that has led to HF is treated, like valvular disorders, it may reverse the HF, depending on the damage that has already been sustained.
Management of HF may include medication, devices, surgery, behaviour modifications, management and monitoring.
- Medication treatments are patient specific and may be used to achieve the following: to remove extra sodium and fluid from your body; to relax your blood vessels; to slow your heart rate; and to make your heart beat stronger and pump more blood.
- Devices:Sometimes a doctor, depending on the condition, may advise a medical device to be inserted surgically to treat HF.
- Surgery: A person with HF may also need heart surgery to repair any congenital heart defects or damage to their heart. If a person’s HF has progressed and became life threatening and other treatments have not worked the person may need a heart transplant, if all other criteria have been met.
- Behaviour modifications: Behaviour changes are essential for a cardiac-rehabilitation programme to be successful. It may include dietary changes (low salt, low sugar, low fat), reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, managing stress, getting enough sleep, avoiding alcohol, tobacco products, or any other illicit drugs.
- Management and monitoring: When a person is diagnosed with HF they will need to follow a treatment or management plan for the rest of their lives. HF will indefinitely progress, but adhering to the management plan it may improve and lengthen the person’s quality of life. Regular monitoring of the condition is essential. One may be able to detect and treat new or worsening symptoms before it leads to more damage.
