Thursday, April 25, 2013

Costs to Treat Heart Failure to Double by 2030

Source:  www.health.com

. . .a cost every one of us will pay whether you suffer heart disease or not.

The relationship between living with day-to-day stress and heart disease is well established.  Now comes a statement from the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation, predicting that the cost of treatment could be as high as $244 per year by 2030, more than twice the current cost.

The Heart Association statement predicts:
  • The number of people with heart failure could climb 46 percent from 5 million in 2012 to 8 million in 2030.
  • Direct and indirect costs to treat heart failure could more than double from $31 billion in 2012 to $70 billion in 2030.
Heart failure is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the heart has been weakened from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and other underlying conditions, and can no longer pump enough oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood throughout the body.  

Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization for Americans over age 65, and research results from around the globe show that enduring high levels of stress in early adulthood leads to heart problems later in life.

"If we don't improve or reduce the incidence of heart failure by preventing and treating the underlying conditions, there will be a large monetary and health burden on the country," said Paul A. Heidenreich, M.D., M.S., professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and director of the Chronic Heart Failure Quality Enhancement Research Initiative at the VA Health Care System in Palo Alto, Calif.

"The costs will be paid for by every adult in this country, not just every adult with heart failure.   Research Awareness of risk factors and adequately treating them is the greatest need," Heidenreich said.

"Heart failure is a disease of the elderly," Heidenreich said. "Because our population is aging, it will become more common and the cost to treat heart failure will become a significant burden to the United States over the next 20 years unless something is done to reduce the age-specific incidence."

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Co-authors of the statement are: Nancy M. Albert, Ph.D., R.N.; Larry A. Allen, M.D., M.H.S.; David A. Bluemke, M.D., Ph.D.; Javed Butler, M.D., M.P.H.; Gregg C. Fonarow, M.D.: John S. Ikonomidis, M.D., Ph.D.; Olga Khavjou, M.A.; Marvin A. Konstam, M.D.; Thomas M. Maddox, M.D., M.Sc.; Graham Nichol, M.D., M.P.H.; Michael Pham, M.D., M.P.H.; Ileana L. Piña, M.D., M.P.H.; and Justin G. Trogdon, Ph.D. 

2 comments:

  1. Nice blog! I was just looking for some informative material on cardiovascular health and I came across your blog. I'm a heart patient myself and experiencing a heart attack was one of the worst experiences ever!!! Although I'm always up to date on research and I visit my doctor regularly, I've been constantly checking online for ways to prevent heart attack in future. I'm glad I came across your article it was really knowledgeable.

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  2. I hear many people talking about the heart failure and its symptoms like: Pain doesn’t have to be present it can just be uncomfortable and still be serious. Fluid retention is very common with heart problems and as a result many people begin to notice that their clothing and even shoes begin to feel unusually tight without reason. I request the people of the earth that seek the simple methods to prevent the Heart failure and nip this deadly evil in the bud. Your article is also helping a lot. Thanks for this and keep sharing this type of content. www.doctorbing.com

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