Webinar on heart failure held

Heart failure, its causes and risk factors, prevention and management were discussed during a webinar organised as a part of The Hindu Wellness Series on Saturday.

At the webinar on “Heart Failure” that was presented by Kauvery Hospital, K. P. Suresh Kumar, chief cardiologist, Kauvery Hospital, Alwarpet, said heart failure occurs when the heart muscle is weak and the heart is unable to pump adequate amount of blood needed for the body. This could be due to the impaired heart muscle power or because of the stiffness of the heart.

“The prevalence and incidence of heart failure is rapidly increasing. It is called a heart failure epidemic,” he said.

“Heart failure is a bigger challenge in India because compared to the western world, we develop heart failure at a younger age; almost 20 years earlier,” he said. Shortness of breath, unexplained tiredness, persistent cough, rapid heart rate, swelling in the lower legs and unintentional weight loss are the symptoms.

Once a diagnosis of heart failure is made, diet and lifestyle are the cornerstone of therapy — restricting salt and water intake, avoiding smoking, alcohol, and maintaining a healthy weight. Heart failure is treatable if detected very early and appropriate lifesaving therapy is initiated, he added.

S. Aravindakumar, chief consultant, interventional cardiologist, Kauvery Hospital, Tiruchi, said that hypertension, diabetes, tobacco use, obesity, dyslipidemia and valvular heart disease are the risk factors for heart failure. The primary risk factors are coronary artery diseases (CAD) and advancing age.

A patient can have sudden cardiac death as the heart and its muscle are weak, he added. “Once a person is symptomatic, there is a very rapid downhill course. We have to ensure lifestyle modification as it is the best way of treatment. We need to control hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and treat CAD the best way possible,” he said.

P. Manokar, senior consultant, Interventional Cardiology and Clinical Lead, Heart Failure and Transplant Program, Kauvery Hospital, Vadapalani, elaborated on the future directions in the treatment of heart failure. “Since a lot of heart failure is genetically mediated both in the domain of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy, we are getting silencing molecules, specific gene modifiers that are being developed. This is useful if there is a proband in the family and the family is identified to carry the gene,” he said.

The biggest challenge faced in heart failure and genetic management is that most patients have novel mutations, he said, adding: “When we look at hypertrophic cardiomyopathy alone, some 3,000 gene mutations have been identified in patients. It is a little tricky to design a gene therapy that will fit all. If there is any field of cardiology where pharmacogenomics is going to play a big role, it is going to be in genetic therapy.”

Published - September 28, 2024 09:50 pm IST