Lynn Mackay-Thomas
CEO, British Society for Heart Failure
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Often hidden in plain sight, heart failure is the endpoint of almost all cardiovascular diseases.
More common than the top four cancers, heart failure is already affecting the lives of nearly 1 million people in the UK, with 200,000 newly diagnosed each year. These numbers are set to grow with the ‘baby boomer’ generation — born between 1946 and 1964 — increasing our ageing population but also because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite this, the growth in clinical understanding and improvement in the management of heart failure over the past 25 years has made it a success story in modern medicine.
Reducing overall rates
Keen to build on this momentum, the British Society for Heart Failure (BSH), the professional association for heart failure care in the UK, under the auspices of a campaign called ‘Freedom from Failure – The F Word,’ is determined to change the trajectory of heart failure in the UK and beyond.
The BSH is organising a summit of leaders from organisations representing conditions associated with heart failure — such as diabetes, kidney disease and raised blood pressure — to combine efforts and reduce deaths due to heart failure by 25% in the next 25 years.
Early diagnosis and referral to specialist care can drastically improve outcomes for those with heart failure.
Familiarity with symptoms
It is recognised that early diagnosis and referral to specialist care can drastically improve outcomes for those with heart failure.
The ‘Freedom from Failure – The F Word’ campaign has started by encouraging self-recognition of the symptoms of heart failure such as feeling breathless, fatigued and retaining fluid. It also encourages seeking medical advice early.
Earlier elimination
An easy blood test known as ‘NT-proBNP,’ which can be done in general practice, can heart failure if levels are low. Or, if raised, it can indicate the need for further investigation — such as an echocardiogram — to confirm the presence of heart failure.
If heart failure is diagnosed, care provided by a heart failure specialist can help those with the condition live better and longer. In the words of our ‘Freedom from Failure – The F Word’ campaign Ambassador, actor-explorer, Brian Blessed OBE: ‘don’t let heart failure stop you from fulfilling your dreams.’
For more information, please visit: BSH Website: www.bsh.org.uk
Please download the BSH App either through Google Play or Apple Store and follow the instructions.
