Heart Failure In America

Millions of people worldwide have a heart failure diagnosis and many more go untreated. Every year, we conduct our Heart Failure In America survey to better understand the impact that heart failure (HF) takes on the patient and their loved ones. More than 600 people completed the survey, providing a rich perspective on the condition. We’re sharing their heart failure experiences and stories below. What are the most commonly reported symptoms? For most people, heart failure comes with multiple symptoms. Nearly all patients use tactics to manage or improve heart failure symptoms, with taking medicine regularly and as prescribed (87% of respondents), eating heart-healthy foods (71%), and getting a flu shot/vaccination (68%) being the most common. What is the impact on household finances? Treating heart failure can be expensive. 15% of respondents use a financial support program to help cover treatment costs and 9% avoided using a medication due to its cost. 73% of respondents have an annual income of less than $55,000. What about other health conditions? Comorbidity is the presence of more than one chronic condition in a given patient. Nearly all survey respondents (96%) report having at least one comorbidity. One patient alluded to their previous cardiovascular challenges when reacting to their heart failure diagnosis: “I was shocked. I didn’t know what it meant. I already had 2 open-heart surgeries before this.” Diverse backgrounds People living with heart failure come from diverse backgrounds. The average respondent age is 70 years old, with 86% being older than 60. Two-thirds (66%) of respondents are female and 16% are employed in some capacity. How often do patients undergo testing? 83% of patients report undergoing regular testing to track their heart failure progression and 87% have never been told they should be evaluated for or need a heart transplant. Roughly ⅔ of patients were diagnosed with heart failure through an echocardiogram and/or an electrocardiogram. The Heart Failure In America 2020 survey was conducted online from October 2019 through April of 2020. 642 people completed the survey. [lead_gen showIfLoggedIn="0" campaign="shortcode" source="site"] The 2021 survey is now closed. Thank you so much for your participation! Are you 1 of the millions of Americans living with heart failure? If so, we want to hear from you. Help bring awareness to the realities of your life by taking our survey. What is the survey about? The survey covers heart failure basics like diagnosis and treatment. It also dives into the condition's emotions and day-to-day challenges. We hope to learn more about all things heart failure. This includes: Complementary and alternative treatments Diet and nutrition Symptoms Quality of life Why should I take the survey? Each person who takes the survey helps us gain better insight into heart failure. Your knowledge can help others who are dealing with HF feel less alone. Help us figure out how some heart failure stories are alike – and what makes each one unique. Heart failure affects millions of Americans. Your input can bring greater awareness. What happens after I take the survey? After the survey, the team at Heart-Failure.net takes your responses and creates an infographic. The infographic will share the community's experiences and highlight important findings from the survey. But that is not all. All year, we publish articles and videos about what the survey taught us. This helps those affected by heart failure connect with others who have walked the same path. What will the survey ask me? The survey will ask about: Diagnosis Symptoms Symptom management Quality of life and relationships Healthcare professional engagement Treatment awareness and experience We do not require your name, address, or other personal information. Please note that you do not have to take the survey all at once. Feel free to bookmark the survey and return when you are able. You will resume where you left off. How does Health Union use the In America survey data? Survey responses help Health Union and our partners understand heart failure. All survey responses are confidential. We report responses only in total. Your specific answers will not be reported. Responses become the property of Health Union, LLC. The 2021 survey is now closed. Thank you so much for your participation! [lead_gen showIfLoggedIn="0" campaign="shortcode" source="site"],Life with heart failure can look different from person to person. Severity, type of heart failure, and treatment plans can all vary. Heart failure also comes with a wide range of symptoms. We conducted our 2020 Heart Failure In America survey to better understand the symptoms that impact those living with the condition. More than 600 men and women with heart failure completed the survey and shared their experiences. While each person’s heart failure journey is unique, 92 percent of survey respondents shared that they had experienced at least one symptom related to their heart failure within the last month. Overwhelmingly common symptoms The majority of the men and women who completed the survey had two symptoms in common: shortness of breath and fatigue. Shortness of breath during daily activities was experienced within the past month by 64 percent of respondents. About 28 percent of respondents also shared that they experienced shortness of breath while at rest. Roughly 62 percent reported increased fatigue, or a feeling of weariness or weakness despite getting ample rest. Not surprisingly, 50 percent also said that they had trouble sleeping. A range of physical heart failure symptoms The far-reaching physical symptoms of heart failure often limit daily physical activities and impact overall well-being. More than 40 percent of respondents reported that they had difficulty exercising, while 38 percent had experienced an irregular heartbeat (or pulse) with their condition. Swelling was another physical symptom experienced by many of the survey respondents. About 37 percent said they noticed increased swelling in their lower limbs (edema), while another 26 percent experienced swelling of the abdomen. A frequent dry, hacking cough was also common, with 27 percent of respondents experiencing this symptom. The mental and emotional symptoms of heart failure While heart failure brings a host of physical symptoms, the diagnosis also impacts mental and emotional health. More than 86 percent of survey respondents said they had experienced mental and emotional symptoms stemming from the condition within the past month. 35 percent experienced anxiety, 32 percent experienced depression/mood changes, and 19 percent experienced confusion/impaired thinking. Less common heart failure symptoms Some of the less common symptoms stemming from heart failure included gastrointestinal issues and fluid in the lungs. Although these symptoms were reported less frequently, they still affected nearly 20 percent of survey respondents. Nausea was reported in 19 percent of people, while 17 percent shared that they had experienced a loss of appetite. In contrast, rapid weight gain was reported by more than 15 percent of respondents. Although not specified, some rapid weight gain may be related to fluid retention. Pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs, was reported by 16 percent of participants. Pulmonary edema can make it difficult to breathe and can cause additional coughing or respiratory symptoms. Another 12 percent shared that they had experienced pain in the abdomen within the past month. Checking in with a healthcare provider Since new symptoms can arise regularly with heart failure, checking in with a healthcare provider when experiencing new or worsening symptoms is always a good idea. The Heart Failure In America 2020 survey was conducted online from October 2019 through April of 2020. 642 people completed the survey. [lead_gen showIfLoggedIn="0" campaign="shortcode" source="site"] In September of 2019, Health Union (the parent company of heart-failure.net) partnered with the US Pain Foundation for our first ever Chronic Pain in America survey to ask members of our communities about their experiences with chronic pain. 4,725 people living with chronic pain completed the survey to share how pain impacts their life and their experiences with pain management and treatment. One thing that respondents described was how they feel on a day when they are experiencing their worst pain. The responses are shared in this video. What does the worst day with chronic pain feel like? Describing the painful days Some other responses from the survey include: "Very depressed!! On my worse days, I usually stay away from everyone and I am not very active." "In agony. Can't move, can't eat, can't sleep. Constant severe pain. 8 out of 10 in severity." "In my worst flares I can’t get comfortable, the pain is excruciating, and nothing works to make it." "My worst day I'm in bed. I have leg pain, lumbar pain with movement and I can't walk well either. My head is too heavy to support wich also sends screaming pain in cervical and thoracic and right on down to my shoulder and arms." "I feel like I could die I’m in so much pain. The stomach pain becomes almost too much to bear. After a flare-up, I feel 100 percent drained." "Usually I’ll be in bed, barely wanting to get up to use the bathroom. I live alone, so it’s difficult to get up and eat something or take care of any basic everyday necessities." We want to thank our community members again for being so open and honest about living with chronic pain. To those who are feeling this pain, you are not alone. [lead_gen showIfLoggedIn="0" campaign="shortcode" source="site"],Heart Failure (HF) is defined by the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association as a “complex clinical syndrome that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the ventricle to fill or eject blood.”1 This means that the heart has problems either pumping out enough blood, refilling itself, or both. It can be due to a change in the structure of the heart or the way it is working. There are multiple symptoms and causes that have been identified in studies looking at the epidemiology, examining how often HF occurs in different sub-groups of the population and clinical characteristics used to diagnose and manage the disease.2-3 A global healthcare problem Heart failure diagnoses are typically related to age. Over 900,000 new cases of HF are identified in the US each year according to data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) estimate between 5.7 - 6.2 million people over age 20 are already diagnosed with heart failure. Heart failure is a global healthcare problem with a worldwide prevalence estimated to be around 26 million people. Cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death, accounting for more than 17.6 million deaths in 2016. According to a 2014 study, this number is expected to rise to more than 23.6 million by 2030. Heart disease (including coronary heart disease, hypertension, and stroke) is the primary cause of all deaths in the US. Heart failure accounts for around 9.3% of these deaths.3 How many people are living with heart failure? It is estimated that there are 900,000 new cases of heart failure diagnosed each year and heart disease overall remains the leading cause of death in the US. HF is the reason for more than 11 million doctor visits each year, and it is the stated reason for more hospital admissions than all cancers.2 The average lifetime risk for developing heart failure is 20% in US adults over age 40. Researchers estimate that the rate will continue to increase as the population ages and people with medical conditions, including heart failure, are living longer. Advances in medical treatment along with earlier diagnosis and intervention, aided by compliance with recommended lifestyle changes, have led to a decrease in deaths from heart failure by around 12 percent per decade for women and men over the past fifty years. Who gets heart failure? The risk of HF increases with age, and incidence rates increase with age for both men and women. The rates vary by race, gender, socioeconomic (SES) status, and geographic location. Men are more likely to develop HF than women, being in a lower SES, or being of African American or Hispanic heritage can also increase the likelihood of HF.1 Other factors that increase a person’s risk of developing heart failure include:1 Core Health Behaviors: Smoking status, level of physical activity, diet and weight Health factors: cholesterol, hypertension, and glucose control BMI Family history Diabetes Atherosclerosis (buildup of plaque on artery walls which can restrict blood flow) Structural abnormalities of the heart While men are more likely to develop HF, women have a higher death rate in part because they live longer. Survival statistics for heart failure Heart Disease (including coronary heart disease, hypertension, and stroke) remains the number one cause of death in the US. Half of those with heart failure will die within 5 years of being diagnosed.2 Survival rates are calculated as the average survival time for people after they are initially diagnosed with HF. The statistics are not necessarily predictive for any one individual. Heart failure is treatable. By making lifestyle changes and complying with prescribed medical treatment, the progression of HF can be slowed. Some patients may have other conditions or illnesses called comorbid conditions that can influence their lifespan.2 [lead_gen showIfLoggedIn="0" campaign="shortcode" source="site"]

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