Heart failure is a serious condition that can happen at any age.

However, many people with the condition can lead full lives when it is managed with medication or a healthy lifestyle.

What is heart failure?

Heart failure is a chronic disease in which the heart is unable to pump or fill with enough blood to meet the body’s needs. In short, the heart can’t keep up with its workload.

The heart may try to compensate for this by:

• Enlarging: The heart stretches to try to keep up with the body’s demand to pump more blood.
• Developing more muscle mass: The contracting cells of the heart get bigger in attempt to strengthen the heart’s ability to pump.
• Pumping faster: Heart rate elevates to increase the heart’s blood output.

These will help temporarily alleviate heart failure problems but won’t solve it.

“Without treatment, the condition will continue to progress to a point in which these compensating processes no longer work,” said Jessica Geiger, Heart Failure Improvement Clinic nurse practitioner at Marshfield Clinic Health System.

The leading causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, hypertension (high blood pressure) and valvular disease. It also may be caused by other factors, including diabetes, heart rhythm disorders, obesity, viruses or other factors such as substance or alcohol abuse.

Read more: Tips for how to check your blood pressure at home

At what age should you worry about heart failure?

Thinking that you’re too young for heart failure is a common misconception of the disease.

“It remains more prevalent in the elderly population, but it can certainly happen at any age,” said Geiger.

Recent studies have indicated that there is an increase in people younger than age 65 being diagnosed with heart failure.

“This is likely consistent with an increase in sedentary lifestyles and poor diets,” she said. “While, in general, younger individuals are less likely to experience heart failure, it is important to reduce risk factors. If they work to stay active with exercise, follow a healthy diet, limit alcohol consumption, and abstain from tobacco use, the incidence of heart failure can be reduced in the younger population.”

Heart failure symptoms

Heart failure symptoms may develop slowly over time. Some people may not know they have heart failure right away because the heart first tries to work harder to counteract the condition.

Symptoms may include:

• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Swollen legs, ankles and feet
• Loss of appetite or feeling full quickly
• Rapid weight gain

“One of the first symptoms patients may notice is an increase in shortness of breath or reduced activity tolerance,” said Geiger. “These individuals may experience a decrease in the ability to do their typical activities without needing to take a break. For example, they may experience shortness of breath with going to get the mail or bringing in the groceries. They may find they are unable to lay flat at night to sleep, needing to prop themselves up with multiple pillows or sleep upright in a recliner to feel comfortable breathing. The individual may notice their feet or abdomen appear to be swollen.”

It is important to report all your symptoms when seeing your provider.

“These symptoms will be an indicator for a further workup to diagnose heart failure. This is why informing your provider of all your symptoms is essential to guide appropriate testing and management of the patient,” said Geiger. “For example, an individual may not feel waking up in the middle of the night feeling short of breath is valuable information to share, but your provider would recognize this as another sign of possible heart failure.”

Beyond symptoms, a diagnosis typically comes with an echocardiogram for initial testing, blood work and a chest X-ray to identify potential findings consistent with heart failure.

Manage with medications and lifestyle modifications

Heart failure is not something that can be cured, however many people with heart failure can lead full lives when the condition is managed with medication or a healthy lifestyle.

“Hearing the diagnosis of heart failure can be very frightening. This is where the Heart Failure Improvement Clinic steps in to help guide your care and support you,” said Geiger.

The Heart Failure Improvement Clinic at Marshfield Clinic Health System works to identify and act quickly to meet your needs in order to avoid unnecessary complications or hospitalizations. The clinic also develops an individualized treatment plan that works for you.

This plan includes:

• A first visit and follow-up visits
• A medication plan
• Planning for the future
• Providing education to help understand the importance of a healthy diet and to spot symptoms
• Teaching self-care strategies

Lifestyle adjustments such as consuming less salt, losing weight and exercising are typical treatments for heart failure patients. Medications are often prescribed to help heart function and improve symptoms. It is important to stay on task even when you see improvement.

“The goal of the program is to improve quality of life and allow for more moments with loved ones,” said Geiger.

Advanced treatment available

Cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) therapy is an advanced treatment for patients with heart failure, particularly those who have moderate to severe heart failure but are not candidates for conventional treatments.

The therapy was FDA-approved in 2019, however very few medical centers in the country are using this therapy outside of clinical trials. Marshfield Medical Center was the second center in the state to offer this therapy. The procedure is primarily done by cardiac electrophysiologists.

CCM delivers electrical signals to the heart to help improve the heart’s natural contractions. The electric signals are non-excitatory, which means they won’t cause new contractions, but help the heart naturally through this process.

“It benefits patients with heart failure by improving the heart’s ability to pump blood more efficiently,” said Dr. Weija Wang, electrophysiologist with Marshfield Clinic Health System. “We’re excited about this therapy as it represents a relatively new approach in heart failure management, especially for patients who fall into a treatment gap where standard options are ineffective.”

For more information on CCM, or heart failure treatments, talk to your provider.