What’s the survival rate for heart failure?

Thank you for participating in our community. Are you newly diagnosed? I can tell you that this is a question that is best asked of your medical team, as each person's situation can be unique. If you are newly diagnosed, I can tell you that there are treatments that can help treat heart failure and cardiac edema. Have you started heart failure treatment yet? Morgan (heart-failure.net Moderator)

My dad has been diagnosed with it, they are saying it’s fluid in the lungs which is caused by heart failure, he is a heavy smoker and has diabetes / swelling on feet, doctor is not willing to tell us what the survival rate is that’s why I have come on here to ask as it doesn’t say anything on Google, is this reversible or can it never be cured? Can someone still live a long normal life? If someone can please give me some advice as not sure what to do, my family have been struggling to cope thanks

Hello and thank you for asking this great question. Heart failure and symptoms can be treated with medications and lifestyle changes but, you would have to ask your doctors. There are different stages of heart failure as well as many tests they have to perform to answer your question. It's based on a case-by-case basis so every person is different. In addition to asking your doctors about your father's condition, I'm linking some articles that you will find useful on the subject. I hope this answers your question. Wishing you all the best. -Olivia
https://heart-failure.net/life-expectancy https://heart-failure.net/living/studies-life-expectancy https://heart-failure.net/symptoms/swelling https://heart-failure.net/coping-diagnosis

Hi. Thank you for raising such an important question—it's one that many people grapple with. It's heartening to see the supportive responses from others above. The topic of life expectancy can understandably be difficult for doctors to broach with patients and their families. However, I believe it's crucial to have these discussions as they provide clarity on one's health status and can guide decision-making processes. Understanding the seriousness of a condition can empower individuals and families to make informed choices about their care. That said, determining how long a person will live with heart failure (or any other disease) is generally based on educated guesses -- as only God knows when a person will die. That said, I am aware that people are living longer today than ever before, as I discuss in this post (https://heart-failure.net/living/studies-life-expectancy). What do you think? John. community moderator.