These figures represent Britain but they could be anywhere. Heart failure affects about 900,000 patients annually and that number is expected to grow in the next 20 years. Thousands of men and women could be at risk of sudden death because of a failure to diagnose their heart failure. An estimated 140,000 to 200,000 could be suffering from the condition right now without realizing it. Treatment rates vary widely as to life-saving drugs being prescribed to as few as one in ten in some areas.
Heart failure occurs when the heart's ability to pump blood around the body is reduced, often as a result of obesity caused by high blood pressure. If left untreated, heart failure can lead to a heart attack. Forty percent of sufferers die within a year of being diagnosed, a much poorer prognosis than for breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Diagnosing heart failure is difficult because many of the symptoms -- such as tiredness, shortness of breath, and swelling of the ankles and feet, can be confused with conditions such as bronchitis.
Part of the problem is that effective tests are not available, although for those that offered tests waiting times had improved. Even when a patient is diagnosed with heart failure, they often do not receive the best drugs.
Only 33 percent of those with heart failure were on beta-blockers, with some areas only prescribing them to 11 per cent of sufferers. Heart failure is the cause of 5 percent of hospital emergency admissions and readmissions are among the highest for any chronic condition.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=466513&in_page_id=1774
