RICHMOND, Va. — When you hear the phrase heart failure, you may think it is an end-of-life condition. But recent research has indicated that heart failure is on the rise in people under 65 and it’s actually considered a chronic disease. Dr. Heidi Roschinger, a heart failure specialist at the VCU Health Pauley Heart Center, Virginia’s top rated heart hospital, came to the studio to share more information on heart failure.
What is heart failure and what causes it?
Heart failure is typically a condition that develops slowly and is caused by other forms of heart disease like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, prior heart attacks, obesity and diabetes. There are two main types of heart failure – one where the heart muscle is weak and has trouble pumping blood out to the body, or one where the heart muscle is stiff and it has trouble relaxing, so it doesn’t fill with blood correctly. In either type of heart failure, most people will lead normal, active lives with the right lifestyle interventions and medications…