Fewer than 10% of people adjust their lifestyle to include more exercise, fluids, and salt. People with heart failure are encouraged to limit salt, watch their weight, and exercise more. Getty Images Nearly 6 million Americans suffer from heart failure.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Trusted Source, half of those diagnosed will die within five years.
If you don’t make the necessary lifestyle changes or fail to take your prescribed medication, it can worsen symptoms and increase the likelihood of hospitalization.
According to a new study, however, fewer than 10% of those with the condition will take their doctors’ advice to improve it. Researchers found that loneliness may be the main reason for this.
Natalia Swiatoniowska is a researcher and study author at Wroclaw Medical University, Poland. She told Healthline that she was surprised to find out that only 7 percent of patients adhered to all lifestyle recommendations.
The study was presented in late May at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual meeting. These findings have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
According to the study, the four lifestyle modifications include:
- Weight changes are monitored.
- reducing salt intake
- Reduce fluid intake.
- Exercise more
Researchers defined the following recommendations as “everyday” or “three times a week” when it comes to checking your weight and “most or all the time” in regards to salt, fluids, and exercise.
Swiatoniowska said that the advice to increase physical exercise and reduce fluids and salt was the least followed. This was surprising because one would think that patients and their carers would easily follow the advice to limit salt or liquids.
Why recommendations are important
Dr. Victoria Shin of Torrance Memorial Medical Centre in California explained that excess fluid retention is a sign of heart failure and that limiting liquids could help to address this issue.
Shin, a spokesperson for Healthline, said that daily weighing can be important. If you are retaining fluids, “one of these manifestations is weight gain, which is noticeable within one or two days.” This can occur before other symptoms of heart failure, such as shortness of breath or swelling. She said that she was advising people to limit their salt intake, but with a warning.
Shin explained that dietary salt intake causes fluid retention, which worsens the problem. We often advise heart failure patients that they should limit their daily sodium consumption to less than 2.0 mg per day. A review of scientific literature found that there is no evidence to support the idea that salt restriction for heart failure patients must be strictly enforced.
Heart failure can be managed.
Dr. Robert Segal of Manhattan Cardiology, New York, says that people with heart failure are still able to lead active lives.
Segal, a spokesperson for Healthline, explained that “heart failure is simply the result of the heart not pumping blood enough to provide enough oxygen to the body.” While heart failure is a serious illness, people with the condition can still live a normal life. It can be managed.”
Shin added that “overall, the prognosis of heart failure has significantly improved over the years as more and more proven treatments have been developed.”
She cautioned, however, that in some cases, the damage can be so severe that the heart muscle becomes scarred. The recovery in this case may only be partial or even not occur at all.
Shin said, “But it also depends on what caused the problem.” If it is due to substance abuse, then stopping the substance abuse and taking the prescribed medication can help the heart muscles recover. If the cause is atherosclerosis, the blocked arteries are easily fixed, and the heart muscle will recover.
Segal said that there are other causes, such as diabetes, obesity, and sleep apnea. He said that if the disease is not treated immediately, it will lead to heart failure.
Heart failure symptoms
According to Shin’s diagnosis, heart failure symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty inhaling while lying down, and waking during the night because of shortness. Heart failure can cause swollen limbs, rapid weight gain in a few days (due to fluid retention), or a persistent cough.
American Heart Association TrustedSource warns that, while a single symptom may not cause concern, if you have more than one of them, then it is important to contact your doctor and request a heart evaluation. Even if you’ve never been diagnosed with heart disease, it is still important to be aware of these warning signs.
Segal stated that traditional heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, diabetes, weight gain, smoking, alcoholism, and drug use, also apply to heart failure.
Risks include “family history of cardiac problems, cardiotoxic chemotherapy drugs, and, in an unusual case, viral infections that can attack the heart muscle, causing heart failure.”
Be vigilant
Swiatoniowska stated that the findings of the study indicate the need for special intervention to address the issue of poor patient adherence to long-term treatments.
She said that healthcare professionals should develop strategies to increase adherence to their daily practices. Social support is closely linked to health.
Swiatoniowska emphasized that previous research by Trusted Source has found social isolation to have a negative impact on heart failure sufferers. It affected the ability to make medical appointments, take medications, and change lifestyles. Segal has agreed.
He said that family members are crucial because they can provide guidance and support to patients. “Among elderly patients, forgetting or believing they don’t need their medication is commonplace and shouldn’t be seen as cause for alarm. Families are responsible for ensuring that medications and diet or exercise recommendations are followed.
The bottom line
Recent research shows that less than 10% of heart failure patients adhere to doctors’ advice regarding lifestyle changes.
Researchers have found that loneliness is one of the biggest factors preventing people from following these recommendations.
Heart failure is a serious medical condition. However, if you take the prescribed medications and listen to your healthcare provider’s advice, there is a good prognosis.
Experts agree that the best solution is to have both doctors and carers be more vigilant about ensuring heart failure patients are doing everything they can to manage their condition.
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