Two cardiology groups have positioned heart failure as a preventable condition, Medscape reported Aug. 14.
Here are seven takeaways from the report:
1. Through their announcement, the Heart Failure Society of America and the American Society of Preventive Cardiology are encouraging clinicians to recognize and manage key risk factors for heart failure decades before symptoms appear.
2. Approximately 1 in 4 Americans will develop heart disease under current trends, according to data from the HFSA. While advances in medications and device-based therapies have improved care, mortality from heart failure continues to rise and is projected to affect more than 11 million Americans by 2050.
3. According to the organizations, clinical diagnostics such as blood and urine tests can reveal early signs of heart and kidney stress. These tests can support timely intervention with therapies that not only manage symptoms but also reverse the progression of the disease.
4. Martha Gulati, MD, co-author of a recent joint statement by the HFSA and the ASPC regarding the clinical update, said it should serve as a “wake-up call” for clinicians who need to “break down silos” between preventive cardiology care for heart failure, emphasizing a need to create more interoperable strategies to identify and manage risks.
5. In their announcement, the groups aim to achieve greater reimbursement for preventive services, including cardiac rehabilitation, nutrition counseling and behavioral support. They also call for more integrated models of care, connecting primary care with cardiology and related subspecialties such as nephrology and endocrinology.
6. Nearly 80% of all U.S. adults meet the criteria for stages A/B heart failure, according to Medscape. This has persisted despite the traditional focus on late-stage treatment, said Anuradha Lala-Trindade, MD, a co-author of the joint statement and an associate professor of medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
7. The statement’s authors also emphasized a need to expand the lens of risk factors beyond high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity to include sex-specific differences, genetic predisposition, environmental exposures and lifestyle determinants.
