The number one cause of hospitalisation at Mater Dei Hospital could be eliminated if the next generation led a healthy life, according to Mater Dei Hospital cardiology chairman Robert Xuereb.
More people with heart failure have repeat hospitalisations than cancer patients, and the condition has one of the highest mortality rates. In Europe, 10,000 people are diagnosed with the condition every day and there are 15 million Europeans living with the illness.
“We would like to eradicate heart disease from Malta in the young and the middle aged. This is possible if we advise our children on how to lead a healthy lifestyle that includes exercising and regular check-ups, and excludes smoking and alcohol,” Dr Xuereb told this newspaper.
Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump blood properly because the muscle becomes thin, weak or stiff.
While the condition is more likely to develop with age, the top causes can be prevented: “To prevent heart failure quit smoking, drink alcohol moderately and do simple tests to check for diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.
“If you’ve already been diagnosed with the condition, it is treatable. One way to do this is to seek dietary advice especially if you have a high salt intake. Exercise is also important in order to strengthen the heart muscle.”
Heart failure is also treated with medicine, which has come a long way following years of research, Dr Xuereb noted.
To prevent heart failure quit smoking, drink alcohol moderately
Among other drugs, the most common are Ace inhibitors, which block the body’s production of a particular hormone that can narrow blood vessels. There are also beta blockers, which are used to control heart rhythm and treat angina.
The latest kid on the block is LCZ696 (branded as Entresto), which has just been approved by the European Medicines Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration.
This approval follows a major study of over 8,000 heart failure patients, where those receiving Entresto were less likely to require hospitalisation and had a lower risk of mortality. A group of local patients are also receiving such treatment.
Meanwhile, there are also special pacemakers for those with the condition and the number of patients fitted with these €20,000 devices in Malta has tripled to 45 per year when compared with 2013, Mr Xuereb added.
Asked about symptoms, he explained that heart failure could appear suddenly such as when a person woke up in the night with shortness of breath. “They would feel like they are drowning and this is when they need to be immediately rushed to hospital.
“We are always insisting that those who suffer a heart attack need to be rushed to hospital because the resulting scar on the organ prevents the heart from pumping properly and can eventually lead to heart failure.”