Canada's Silent Epidemic

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 24, 2015) - Ever heard of Heart Failure? Is it a heart attack? Or maybe a new way for referring to heart disease? Heart failure is Canada's most prevalent and most costly chronic disease, with hospital care alone costing close to $10 billion annually. Every five minutes someone with heart failure in Canada dies, and it is estimated more than 600,000 Canadians currently suffer from it. Yet, health professionals often fail to diagnose and treat it, and most of us don't even know it exists.

Heart failure occurs when the heart is damaged or overworked so that it is not able to pump blood as well as it should. It can result in the enlargement of the heart, thickening of the ventricle walls, and fluid build-up in the lungs and other parts of the body. Heart failure is often the result of damage following a heart attack, but can also be caused by conditions such as high blood pressure, congenital heart defects and diabetes. There is so far no cure.

"Heart failure is a silent epidemic. It is very important that patients, physicians and the Canadian health system all prepare to face this together," said Dr. Peter Liu, Chief Scientific Officer and Vice-President of Research at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

Of those diagnosed with heart failure today, one in four will die within the year. Annual deaths from heart failure in Canada exceed those from breast, prostate and colon cancer combined. As many as 20% of hospitalized heart failure patients are re-admitted within 3 months, and those returning home usually suffer poor quality of life and can be a major burden on caregivers.

Initial symptoms can be quite subtle. People might get more tired or short-winded, feelings often attributed to aging or just out of shape. But in fact these are precisely the symptoms associated with heart failure. Patients are typically unaware they are suffering from it until very late in the disease process. Then, over a short period of time, fluid fills up in the lungs, patients feel like they are drowning, it is only rushing to the emergency department that the condition gets diagnosed.

Heart failure is the only cardiovascular diagnosis that is continuing to rise in Canada today. One of the factors is the aging population; the other is that we are getting much better at treating other forms of heart disease. "It's a paradox - we are winning the cardiovascular disease battle in many places, but losing poorly on the heart failure front," added Dr. Liu.

There have been a number of recent advances in the treatment of heart failure. These include new medications that can decrease the chance of death and hospitalization, and devices such as specialized pacemakers that can help patients with enlarged hearts. There are also state-of-the-art systems for monitoring patients and their care at home.

However, treatment remains challenging and complex. Heart transplant and artificial hearts are available to fewer than one in a thousand patients with heart failure. And for those patients with heart failure and small stiff hearts, there is currently no effective treatment.

"One of the biggest obstacles to successful treatment remains the lack of patient and physician awareness," said Dr. Lisa Mielniczuk, a cardiologist and the Director of the Heart Failure Program at the Ottawa Heart Institute. "Physicians need to recognize how common heart failure is and diagnose it earlier, because unless a patient recognizes they have the condition, the outcome will be very dismal."

Changes in lifestyle such as weight loss and physical activity can help alleviate symptoms and improve prognosis; in particular, fluid restrictions and a low-salt diet are essential. The University of Ottawa Heart Institute is developing improved practice guidelines for physicians and identifying new ways to make early diagnosis easier, and develop new treatments.

Supporting Documents:

VIDEO: What is Heart Failure?

INFOGRAPHIC: Canada's Silent Epidemic