SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Critical Diagnostics reported today that it has issued a White Paper titled, “The Pandemic Called Heart Failure.” It is a contemporary look at the problem of heart failure, examining its global prevalence, why it will be a mounting problem for years to come, the economic and social impact it will have, and the outlook for heart failure and heart failure care in the future.
Dr. Eugene Braunwald, whose contributions to the field of cardiology are unparalleled, recently called heart failure a “pandemic.” In his seminal paper, “The war against heart failure: the Lancet lecture,” published in 2014, Braunwald declared, “the pandemic of heart failure represents a major global health problem . . . A concerted series of actions are needed to deal with this problem, hence the war against heart failure.”
Despite major improvements in the treatment of virtually all cardiac disorders, both incidence and prevalence of heart failure is rising. This is being driven by a growing and aging population, Western diets, increases in numerous comorbidities (i.e., hypertension, diabetes, obesity, renal dysfunction), sedentariness and other lifestyle choices (i.e., smoking and drinking), and improvements in medical care that mean patients who would otherwise die from an index event, live only to go on to develop heart failure.
Moreover, despite progress made in treating heart failure, the prognosis is worse than that of most cancers. As the heart failure population continues to grow – currently some 30 million people are living with heart failure, around the same number worldwide that have cancer – so too do the enormous costs and burdens to healthcare systems (hospitals, clinics, physicians and caregivers) around the world -- not to speak of the human toll, for patients and their families.
To access the White Paper, go to: www.criticaldiagnostics.com/hfpandemicwhitepaper
About Critical Diagnostics
Critical Diagnostics (www.criticaldiagnostics.com) develops novel biomarkers to help physicians optimize patient care in cardiovascular diseases, while containing healthcare costs.
