Around four million people in Germany suffer from heart failure. This is indicated by the new report by the German Heart Foundation. Often the weakness of the pump arises unnoticed. This is what makes the disease so insidious. The quick check provides the answer as to whether you are also at risk.
Constantly tired? Fast out of breath? This can be due to heart failure. Doctors speak of cardiac insufficiency when the heart can no longer supply all organs with sufficient blood. According to estimates by the German Heart Foundation, this affects around four million people in Germany.
The heart normally pumps five to six liters of blood per minute at rest and up to 15 liters through the body when under stress. A weak organ sometimes only manages 2.5 liters. This can be life-threatening – if, for example, the brain is no longer sufficiently supplied with oxygen.
More than 480,000 patients end up in the hospital every year because of heart failure. You have to struggle with shortness of breath, rapidly declining performance or severe water retention (oedema). According to the current annual report of the German Heart Foundation, cardiac insufficiency ranks second among the most common causes of cardiac death (around 35,000 people) among cardiovascular diseases – after coronary heart diseases, which also include acute myocardial infarction.
Since cardiac insufficiency often develops insidiously – for example after other illnesses – it is important to notice changes precisely. A simple eight-question quick check from the Swiss Heart Foundation will help you find out if you should see a doctor.
Heart failure test:
If you answered “yes” to more than two questions, you should see your doctor and discuss the subject of heart failure.
The risk increases especially with age. “Anyone who suffers from shortness of breath should have a doctor clarify whether a heart disease, such as cardiac insufficiency, is the cause,” advises cardiologist Christiane Tiefenbacher, board member of the German Heart Foundation. “The earlier a diseased heart is recognized and treated, the easier it is to counteract a deterioration.”
That applies particularly to women. Because women generally have a slightly stiffer and smaller heart than men. Therefore, it is less able to stretch and fill with blood. Tiefenbacher explains that it compensates for this with a higher pump capacity. As women get older, this anatomical condition becomes more noticeable: the older they get, the more the heart size decreases. During menopause, connective tissue also forms in the heart due to reduced estrogen production and simultaneous increases in blood pressure. The heart continues to lose elasticity.
To protect your pump, it’s important to take care of your vessels. Anything that constricts the bloodstream is harmful. This includes nicotine. Anyone who is at risk should therefore not smoke or reduce it quickly. You should also avoid excessive alcohol consumption. In addition, a critical look at the scales and in the mirror is called for: Extra pounds put a strain on the heart, which is why a lot of exercise and a balanced diet should bring the weight into the normal range.
For those who already have coronary artery disease, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, treating these risk factors is especially important. In this way, those affected can prevent heart failure.
Michael Böhm, Clinic for Internal Medicine III, Saarland University Hospital, sums it up in the brochure of the German Heart Foundation: “In about 70 percent of cases, heart failure develops from coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. Both arise from the well-known risk factors such as smoking, poor diet, obesity, lack of exercise. A lifestyle change that manages risk factors is the best weapon against heart failure.”
Professor Böhm answers even more questions in this interview.
Read the issue of FOCUS-GESUNDHEIT what makes your heart strong and what you can do when it gets sick.
