Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump the right amount of blood around the body. Having heart failure doesn't mean that your heart has completely failed, it does mean that there is some problem which is preventing the heart from working efficiently.
The NICE guidance on heart failure says "Heart failure is a complex syndrome that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to function as a pump to support a physiological circulation. The syndrome of heart failure is characterised by symptoms such as breathlessness and fatigue, and signs such as fluid retention." Heart failure leads to the body's tissues not getting enough nutrients and oxygen which would help them to work properly. The body also has to struggle to carry waste materials to the lungs and kidneys where they would normally be processed.
Heart failure can be caused by a wide range of factors, the effects of heart failure cannot be reversed but there are a number of medications available which may improve the signs and symptoms of this condition and may also prevent a recurrence.
In 2003 the National Instute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) estimated that 900,000 people in the UK have heart failure with almost as many again having damaged hearts but as yet no symptoms of heart failure.
The risk of heart failure rises steeply with age - about 1 in 35 people in the age group 65-74 have heart failure whereas 1 in 7 people have heart failure in those aged 85 and above. 40% of people with heart failure die within a year of being diagnosed.
