Heart failure is often the ultimate consequence of many cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic diseases. As diseases such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and obesity become increasingly common, the number of people with heart failure also tends to increase.
According to MSc.BS. CKII Ly Van Chieu - Director of the Cardiovascular Center, Cho Ray Hospital, heart failure is increasing not only in Vietnam but globally. Besides the prevalence of underlying diseases, population aging also contributes to increasing the number of people with the disease because the elderly often have many accompanying cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Heart failure is the ultimate goal of many common diseases. If risk factors are not well controlled, these diseases can lead to heart failure," said Dr. Chieu.
According to doctors, heart failure prevention needs to start from controlling diseases that are at risk of leading to heart failure, especially hypertension. If hypertension is detected and treated early, patients can reduce the risk of heart damage and progress to heart failure.
However, this is also one of the challenges because high blood pressure often progresses silently. Many people do not have obvious symptoms, so they are subjective, even voluntarily stopping medication when they see blood pressure stable.
High blood pressure treatment needs to be combined with lifestyle changes and medication as prescribed. When blood pressure has been controlled, patients should not voluntarily quit taking medication," Dr. Chieu warned.
Not only prevention, but early detection of heart failure also plays an important role.
According to BS.CKII Tran Quang Khanh - Department of Interventional Cardiology, Cho Ray Hospital, people with risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, dyslipidemia, overweight, obesity should be monitored and checked regularly.
Depending on the case, the doctor may assess cardiovascular risk and indicate electrocardiograms, echocardiograms or tests of biomarkers related to heart failure. These methods can help detect abnormalities even when the patient has not shown obvious symptoms.
We need to detect heart failure from an early stage. Then, treatment can help reduce the risk of death and the number of hospitalizations," said Dr. Khanh.
Heart failure is a dangerous disease with a high risk of death. According to Dr. Khanh, the mortality rate in people with heart failure in 5 years can be up to about 50%. Therefore, you should not wait until serious symptoms appear to go for examination.
In addition, heart failure treatment today not only focuses on controlling symptoms but also aims to improve prognosis, reduce mortality and limit disease progression. Early detection of the cause of heart failure also helps doctors choose appropriate treatment methods.
At Cho Ray Hospital, the number of heart failure patients coming for re-examination is recorded to increase by about 15% each year, while the total number of outpatients increases by about 7% each year.
According to experts, instead of only going for examination when abnormal symptoms appear in the body, people, especially groups with risk factors, need to maintain regular health check-ups. Good control of underlying diseases, adherence to treatment and early detection of heart abnormalities are important factors to help reduce the risk of heart failure and serious events.
