Heart Clinic FAQ

Heart Failure is the term used to describe the symptoms and signs that occur when your heart becomes less efficient at pumping blood around the body, either while you are at rest or during exercise.

Although Heart Failure is very serious, many people can improve their condition with appropriate medicines, device therapy, surgery, or by making changes to their lifestyle.

Heart Failure occurs because the heart muscle is damaged.  It has many causes, the most common being:

• Coronary heart disease (CHD), particularly a past heart attack
• Abnormally high blood pressure (Hypertension)

As CHD is the most common cause of Heart Failure, major risk factors for CHD also increase the risk of Heart Failure.  These include:

• Abnormally high cholesterol levels (Hyperlipidemia)
• Smoking
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Obesity

Heart failure is a relatively common chronic disorder and it is rising as the population gets older.   In Canada, approximately 2.7 million currently are affected.

There are many strategies to help you prevent Heart Failure.  Our Heart Nurse will go over many ways of preventing and controlling Heart Failure.  Some of these include:

• Medication monitoring;
• Weight monitoring; and,
• Suggestions for a healthier lifestyle.