Heart Failure: Five common myths
you need to know and grow out
of in 2024
Your body depends on your heart to pump the blood which carries oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body. Heart Failure does not necessarily mean that heart has stopped working altogether. It is a condition when the heart is not able to keep up with its workload. In this article we will try to bust some common myths around Heart Failure and thus arm you with knowledge on how to avoid it or, if it does happen, how to manage it.
Myth1: It is a disease
Myth 2: It is a death sentence
Myth 3: It is painful so I will know when it happens
Myth 4: It is an old person’s or fat persons disease
Myth 5: If you have Heart Failure you should not exercise
Heart Failure Myth1: Heart Failure is a disease
Heart failure is not a sudden event or a disease. It is a gradual process in which the capacity of the heart to do its job starts declining. Understanding the progressive nature of such conditions highlights the critical illness coverage importance for comprehensive health protection. It’s a chronic condition that needs to be managed. Heart failures, like any bodily misfunction, are closely related to ageing but some of the highest risk factors are:
1.Pre-existing coronary artery disease (CAD) which is due to clogging of arteries due to cholesterol and fatty deposit build up.
2.High Blood Pressure (HBP) in arteries means the heart has to work much harder to pump blood leading to damage. Many people have misconceptions about hypertension, so understanding high blood pressure myths can help in better prevention and management of cardiovascular health.
3.Diabetes leads to HBP and CAD and therefore is closely related to heart failure. For those wanting to learn more about hypertension fundamentals, understanding blood pressure basics is crucial for preventing heart-related complications.
4.Thyroid problems lead to elevated heart rate and thus damage to heart.
Myth 2: Heart Failure is a death sentence
It is a medical condition and like most conditions can be managed with care and discipline. With advances in medicine people with it can also lead a normal life. A heart failures patient’s post event lifestyle depends on a number of factors. American Heart Association (AHA) categorises heart failure patients are per their functional capacity — that is, how a patient’s body reacts to physical activity. The categories are as given below
Stages Description Stage A:
At risk for heart failurePeople who are at risk for heart failure but do not yet have symptoms or structural or functional heart disease.
Risk factors for people in this stage include hypertension, coronary vascular disease, diabetes, obesity, exposure to cardiotoxic agents, genetic variants for cardiomyopathy and family history of cardiomyopathy.Stage B:
Pre-heart failuresPeople without current or previous symptoms of heart failure but with either structural heart disease, increased filling pressures in the heart or other risk factors. Stage C:
Symptomatic heart failuresPeople with current or previous symptoms of heart failures. Stage D:
Advanced heart failuresPeople with heart failures symptoms that interfere with daily life functions or lead to repeated hospitalizations. Source: American Heart Association There is no denying the fact that it is a serious condition. But before coming to a decision about the changes that you will have to make to your lifestyle, it’s always helpful to take advise from medical professionals. Learning more surprising facts about the human heart can help you better understand its functioning and take proactive steps for heart health.
Myth 3: Heart Failure is painful so I will know when it happens
When your heart begins to feel the stress, your body takes counter measures to continue performing its duty of pumping enough blood. Some of these measures are
i. Enlargement of heart happens as the heart muscles push harder and just like any muscle that is pushed over a period of time, the heart grows in size. It enables the heart to pump more blood and do it faster. Initially, at least. But over a period of time this reduces the efficiency of the heart.
ii. The blood vessels become narrower to keep up the blood pressure to compensate for loss of power in the heart.
iii. Kidneys start to retain more fluid and salt to create more blood in the body which helps heart maintain blood flow and pressure even with reduced capacities.
These and many other emergency measures are taken by the body to help tide over temporary crisis. But as it happens with emergency measures, they help the heart overcome immediate problems but cause long term damage. And because your body tries to keep functioning properly, the underlying issue goes undetected. Unless people are very careful, heart failures keeps getting worse.
Myth 4: Heart Failure is an old person’s or fat persons disease
Heart Failures can happen to anyone at any age. Young and even ostensibly fit individuals like athletes have had heart cases. As diabetes, obesity, blood pressure etc are becoming common among the younger population, so is their natural consequence i.e. the heart failure. Given the increasing prevalence among younger populations, choosing appropriate insurance plans for heart patients becomes essential for financial protection. In fact, death rates related to cardiac illness have started moving up after falling for nearly 100 years, mainly due to an increase in death rates in the below 45 age segment. As per research, the death rate for people under 45 spiked 906% between 1999 and 2021, compared to an increase of 364% for people 45 to 64 years old and 84% for those 65 and older.
There is no age at which can be ruled out. Even babies can get them due to genetic factors. Hence any symptom should be taken seriously.
Myth 5: If you have Heart Failure you should not exercise
This is one of the most dangerous and outright harmful myths. To the contrary exercise is very important for people suffering from heart failure. Regular exercise has positive impact on almost all known risk factors like weight, diabetes, high blood pressure, stress etc. However, the exercise should not be overdone, which is true for any normal individual as well, and should be performed in consultation with your doctor.
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