Heart Failure

7th Aug, 2024

HF is the inability of the heart to pump blood effectively to other parts of the body, (Heart failure with reduced Ejection Fraction). The other type of HF is the inability of the Heart to relax properly so that it doesn’t get filled with blood easily, (Heart Failure with preserved Ejection fraction).

The magnitude of the problem

HF is a growing epidemic in India. The prevalence of HF in India is up to 0.5% of the overall population, i.e. 70 Lakh cases. 20 Lakh cases occur every year. Indian patients suffer from HF at a younger age (~ 53 years) compared with ~ 70 years in developed countries. Hospitalizations for HF account for a huge healthcare burden in India. As most of the affected individuals are young, the socio-economic impact is unimaginable huge in India.

What Causes of HF?

HF happens most commonly due to Heart Attacks (Coronary Artery Disease) in India. The typical patient recovers from a heart attack but doesn’t show improvement in heart pumping and develops HF over a period of time.

Other causes include: