Nearly 23 percent of Heart Failure Patients die within a year of initial Diagnosis
A recent study by The International Congestive Heart Failure (INTER-CHF) reveals that around 23 percent of heart failure patients in India die within the year of diagnosis which is just after Africa where it measures at 34 percent. The study was conducted globally across six geographical regions where of the total deaths caused in patients during the first year of their diagnosis, the rate stood at 46 percent due to cardiac issues while 16 percent was due to non-cardiac issues. The report further says that the death rate of patients due to heart failures stands at 15 percent and 7 percent in Southeast Asia and China respectively while 9 percent in both South America and West Asia which is significantly lower than that of Indian patients.
The aim of the study is to measure the heart failure patient’s mortality rate at one year in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, China, Middle East and South America.
Heart failure is a serious health risk and can be life-threatening. Heart failure is the condition where the blood pumping capacity of the heart gets reduced while heart attack happens when the flow of oxygen rich blood supply to muscles of the heart is suddenly reduced or blocked.
Heart failure may strike at any age, however, it is more common in elderly and immuno-suppressed people. Cardiac diseases in Indians occur a decade earlier than those of western people. It includes diabetes, high blood pressure, enlarged heart and prior heart attack. Lack of awareness, proper infrastructure and high out of pocket expenditure in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease are some of the main attributors to the increasing heart-related diseases.
Earlier, a study published in the journal of Practice of Cardiovascular Sciences, by AIIMS also highlighted that about one third of patients who were admitted in hospital died as a result of late diagnosis and one fourth of patients dying within three months of diagnosis.
As per the World Health Organization data, heart failure impacts more than 60 million people globally. The death risk of heart failure patients is comparable to the patients with advanced cancer.
Currently, Heart failure is only preventable as there is no cure for it, patients who are diagnosed early need to follow proper medication and make lifestyle changes to live longer.
PSM-India calls for a community based approach to resolve this serious health hazard and urges patients and care givers to be aware of the sign and symptoms of heart failure, leading to better recognition and earlier diagnosis of disease in real time.