Fatigue of the heart should in no way be confused with old age or constant stress and anxiety about the future. Her strength can be weakened by various cardiovascular diseases, one of the most complex of which is heart failure. Why do we talk about this disease every May?
The first week of May in Europe, an initiative of the European Society of Cardiology and the International Heart Alliance (Global Heart Hub) and patient organizations, is traditionally dedicated to drawing attention to those suffering from heart failure – an extremely severe chronic disease with a poor outcome.
More than 60 million people suffer from heart failure in the world and the number of patients is increasing every year, and the statistics of those suffering from this disease is approaching half of all heart disease cases. According to the Institute of Hygiene, more than 145,000 people suffered from heart failure in Lithuania in 2023, while 5 years ago this number was around 136,000.
A disease that takes away the joy of life
As the head of the Heart Failure Working Group of the Lithuanian Society of Cardiology, doctor cardiologist, medical director of LSMU Kaunas Hospital, prof. Dr. Diana Žaliaduonytė, heart failure is one of the most difficult, most exhausting chronic diseases, which significantly worsens the quality of life of the patient, deprives a person of many of his favorite activities, and often even the joy of life.
Because a person living with this disease eventually no longer has the strength to perform even the simplest activities, he is constantly haunted by the fear of death, and depressed moods prevail. “Heart failure is a lifelong condition. This disease does not happen to a person in a day, it is a condition where the heart is no longer able to properly fill and expel blood or, simply speaking, when it is tired of beating. Those who are ill begin to feel inexplicable fatigue, weakness, while climbing stairs or going up a steep hill, they begin to suffer from shortness of breath, a feeling as if something is fluttering in the chest,” says the professor.
The interviewer emphasizes that almost half of all patients die within the first five years after diagnosis, and only a quarter of all patients survive ten years. The risk of developing heart failure is increased by such factors as hypertension, diabetes, kidney dysfunction, gout, various infections, anemia, lung diseases, alcohol abuse, obesity, lack of physical movement, etc.
The responsibility for disease control lies in the hands of the patient. Why?
According to Dr. D. Žaliaduonytė, research has proven that those patients who know how to manage their disease, are thoroughly familiar with its symptoms, are able to recognize their exacerbation, etc., live much longer, and their quality of life is better. “For a long time, it was believed that the best way to control the disease is only with medication. By no means. Although drugs are extremely important (Lithuanian patients can finally get all the basic drugs they need because they are reimbursed), there is a whole system of non-drug measures that have a huge impact on the patient’s well-being. First of all, it is sufficient regular physical activity, knowledge of what can be eaten and what is recommended to be avoided, how much fluid is recommended to be consumed per day, how to properly monitor weight changes, what infectious diseases and when it is recommended to be vaccinated”, says D. Žaliaduonytė.
The professor notices that today’s patient is different than ten years ago or even earlier – more active, more inquisitive. “People with heart failure increasingly understand that the responsibility for controlling their disease lies primarily with themselves, not with their doctors. I would think that special heart failure clinics, which started operating in the country in 2016, played a huge role in educating patients, where patients can consult on all the issues they care about, learn to live with this disease and start changing their lifestyle. It is necessary to thank the cardiologists and specialized heart failure nurses working in those offices for such changes in the behavior of patients. It is thanks to them that heart failure sufferers and their relatives better understand the importance of self-care, which can effectively reduce the symptoms of the disease and improve the quality of life,” says the head of the Heart Failure Working Group of the Lithuanian Society of Cardiology.
The earlier treatment is started, the better the prognosis
According to cardiologist Agnė Grašienė, who works in the heart failure room of LSMU Kaunas Hospital, for the patient’s treatment to be as successful as possible, immediate and open cooperation between him and the doctor, and mutual trust, are extremely important.
“My colleagues and I see a trend that recently patients often come to the doctor after doing their so-called homework – searching for information about the disease on the Internet. It’s nice that there is a growing number of patients who don’t try to prove that what they read or heard somewhere is true, who ask questions, make clarifications, and want to check the available facts. Such a dialogue with the patient is interesting and extremely useful for them. It is also very encouraging that the number of patients who use various smart devices that help to consistently record blood pressure, body weight changes, and other important parameters for monitoring the disease is increasing. And this does not depend on the patient’s age at all – even older patients, if they are curious, interested in many things, quite easily and quickly understand how to use one or another apps”, says the cardiologist doctor.
To the question whether it is true that the age of persons suffering from heart failure is gradually getting younger, doctor A. Grašienė answers positively. However, according to her, it cannot be said that people are sicker now. “Diagnostics are simply improving, more cases of the disease are being diagnosed in the early stages. This is very good, because the earlier treatment of heart failure is started, the better the future prognosis of the patient, the longer he can live a full life”, says the doctor.
The cardiologist emphasizes that it is very important to remember that regular and responsible prevention significantly reduces the likelihood of heart failure and delays the bad outcome of the disease. “After all, if someone in the family has an oncological disease, a person usually goes and gets checked, fearing a similar diagnosis. It should be exactly the same with the heart, especially since Lithuania has a perfectly functioning cardiovascular disease prevention program – you just need to take advantage of it,” emphasizes A. Grašienė.
People underestimate the importance of health
This is what Aistė Štaraitė, president of the Heart Failure Association and head of the Development and Heart Failure Council of the Global Heart Hub, says.
According to her, even though the number of people taking preventive health check-ups is increasing every year, the numbers of those participating in the cardiovascular disease prevention program could be better.
“Most people mistakenly think that nothing will really happen to them. And why should it? After all, if the heart doesn’t hurt, then why is there to study the blood, the heart. However, this approach is wrong. After all, the earlier the disease is detected, the earlier the treatment is started, the easier the outcome of the disease, the more hospitalizations are avoided. The example may be drastic, but it is easier to defeat a tumor that has just started to form than a tumor that has metastasized throughout the body”, asserts A. Štaraitė. The patient representative also draws attention to another widespread view in society, which is that cardiovascular diseases are characteristic only of the elderly. “Not really. Some heart diseases, such as cardiomyopathy, are a disease of young people under the age of 35. And for a young person, going to the doctor is even more complicated. Get sick? When? There is no time for illness. The importance of health is assessed only when these occur,” the interviewer observes.
A.Štaraitė emphasizes that when it comes to heart failure and cardiovascular diseases in general, it is very important to know and evaluate the health status of your immediate environment: parents, grandparents, and previous illnesses, because genetics can play a decisive role in certain cases – the risk of getting one or another disease increases dramatically.
Red color – hope for the future and the healthiest possible life
It is obvious that it is necessary to constantly share knowledge about the prevention of heart failure and early recognition of the disease. For that purpose, after uniting the forces of Lithuanian doctors and patients, today, May 2, an educational event was held in Kaunas, which aimed to draw attention to the problem of heart failure in Lithuania and the possibilities of its solution. At the event, which took place on Laisvės Alley near the City Garden, near the monument of R. Kalanta, there was a cardiology information center where everyone could consult about heart failure, perform functional capacity tests, measure blood pressure, perform blood tests and even have an electrocardiogram.
The event was attended by the head of the Lithuanian Heart Failure Association Aistė Štaraitė, the president of the Lithuanian Society of Cardiologists prof. T. Lapinskas, head of the Heart Failure Working Group of the Lithuanian Society of Cardiology, cardiologist prof. Dr. Diana Žaliaduonytė-, cardiologist doctors, heart failure nurses, medical students. In order to contribute to the commemoration of heart failure, the city of Kaunas intends to illuminate the Kaunas State Musical Theater in red in the evening. This action symbolizes hope for the future and a healthier life for all those living with heart disease.
Filming with a drone – oreore.lt
