Scientists from the American Heart Association and elsewhere published a new set of recommendations for heart failure.
The new guidelines aim to help doctors prevent and manage heart failure expand the focus on people at risk or showing early signs of the condition.
The guideline is published in the journal Circulation and was conducted by Dr. Paul A. Heidenreich et al.
Heart failure, a chronic condition managed with medication and lifestyle changes, affects more than 6 million adults in the U.S., according to AHA statistics.
The most common risk factors include narrowed arteries, having a heart attack, high blood pressure and heart valve heart disease.
Heart failure also can be caused by heart muscle disease, metabolic disease, autoimmune disorders or exposure to medications or treatments, such as chemotherapy, that can damage the heart.
In the latest guidelines, researchers emphasize the importance of optimizing blood pressure and adhering to a healthy lifestyle to prevent the disease, along with new treatment strategies for people already showing symptoms.
The new guidelines revised the four progressive stages of heart failure to earlier identify people at risk and provide treatment before structural changes or decreased heart function can occur.
Stage A applies to people at risk for heart failure who have not yet shown signs of structural heart disease or heart muscle injury.
It includes people with high blood pressure; diabetes; obesity; exposure to chemotherapy drugs; or with a hereditary risk for heart failure.
Stage B includes people without symptoms of heart failure but who show signs of structural heart disease.
That could include evidence of heart muscle injury, signs of less effective heart pumping, enlargement of the heart muscle, heart muscle contraction abnormalities, or valve disease. People in this stage also may be prescribed medications.
Stage C applies to people with symptoms of both heart failure and structural heart disease. That could include shortness of breath; persistent cough; swelling in the legs, feet or abdomen; fatigue; and nausea.
A multidisciplinary team is recommended to oversee care and monitoring for people in this stage. The guideline recommends people in this stage be fully vaccinated against respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.
Stage D indicates advanced heart failure, when symptoms interfere with daily life, become difficult to control and result in hospitalizations.
Recommendations for people in this category include implantable cardiac devices and the management of other heart conditions.
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If you care about heart failure, please read studies about how to reverse heart failure with diet, and your walking pace may impact your heart failure risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about supplements that could help prevent heart disease, stroke, and results showing that a year of committed exercise in middle age reversed worrisome heart failure.
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