New to this.

[Ouichef85]

Hey all. I'm new to this to this forum. I was diagnosed with heart failure 3 years ago when I was 35. Since then I've been taking my tablets and all seems to be going well. I was recently looking through an Web page on heart failure and read that it only gives between 5 and 10 years to live once diagnosed. Can anyone plz help me with more info on this. I'm due to get married next year and I'm really worried about the future. Thank you in advance.

[Hidden]

I think these figures /studies are hard to understand. They are usually drawn from large numbers of people with heart failure.

The NHS says: "It can occur at any age, but is most common in older people. Heart failure is a long-term condition that tends to get gradually worse over time. It cannot usually be cured, but the symptoms can often be controlled for many years."

As it is "common in older people" it suggests that for these, older people, say 70+, 5 to 10 years would be a fairly ordinary length of time to live.

A NICE study says "A UK population-based cohort (55,959 patients) study between 2000 and 2017 found that 30,906 patients died during that period and heart failure was listed as the primary cause of death in 7.2% [ Taylor, 2019 ]." i.e of the 30,906 people who died 2,225 of them died from their heart failure and 28,684 died of something else.

People with heart failure are dying but something other than the heart failure caused these deaths.

Your GP and the cardiac team may be able to give you more information about your personal situation but these general studies are just that.

Hope this make some sense.

[SLK-14]

Hello there, please please do look up heart failure on Dr Google it's very frightening. I was diagnosed with Heart Failure 4years ago, I'm 75years old, I had an EF25 when first diagnosed, now with medication, excersise and a good diet it has risen to 41. Hope this is encouraging for you. Take care ☺️

[PinkKizzie in reply to SLK-14]

Hi SLK-14, can I ask a question please, was it ever suggested to you to have a pacemaker? My EF is also 25%, a pacemaker implant didn't go to plan so now I only take medication. Because I feel really well I'm hoping my EF is improving but I don't see the cardiac consultant until next year when he'll probably do an echo. Best wishes.

[SLK-14 in reply to PinkKizzie]

Hi PinkKizzie...Yes it was discussed but they suggested I wait to see if the medication improved it first. My EF rose from 25 to 38 in the first 12months and went on to improve to 41. I take 10mg Nebivolol, 25mg Spironolactone, 4mg Perindopril and 10mg Dapagliflozin. Had a telephone consultation yesterday with my Consultant Cardiologist and she was more than satisfied with where I am at the moment and will review me in 12months as long as I don't get symptomatic. Hope this helps. Take care 🙂

[PinkKizzie in reply to SLK-14]

'morning, a great help, thank you. I do worry that my EF will go down rather than up but when I hear stories like yours I'm hopeful it will increase. I take Carvedilol 12.5 twice daily, entresto 24/26 twice daily, Eplerenone 25, and Empagliflozin 25mg, so all these should surely help. Thanks again, and keep well x

[SLK-14 in reply to PinkKizzie]

You too PinkKizzie...keep that chin up xx

[Deejay62]

Hi, Welcome to the forum and ignore Google. I did the same 21 yrs ago, and felt that was it for me. My EF was 43%. Medicines has come a long way since then. Live your life and take all the life saving medications you need.

I’m 63 now and my cardiologist still haven't given up on me.

5 yrs ago my EF was 10% and I thought that was it for me. I was offered heart transplant, but in the meantime I was placed on a heart failure cocktail. My EF is now 23%. This is good considering I have an underlying heart condition which is gradually getting worse.

I continued working right through until a couple of years ago I decided to retire and enjoy what’s left of the rest of my life.

I don’t know what your EF is or your medical history but these are things you can also discuss with your nurse, if you have one, or even your cardiologists when you see them. I’ve come to realise there’s no time limit with heart failure until you reach the end. It’s like how longs a piece of string. Eat healthy, exercise, permitted by your cardiologist, and take your meds.

All the best Diane.

[DaveTR]

Hi,

I was 33 when I was diagnosed with Heart Failure and I'm now 54. So that's 21 years with Heart Failure.

I found similar to you when I asked Google. So according to what I found on Google I should have 'gone' 15 years ago.

There's so many different factors to take into account. Underlying cause of HF, Meds, age, lifestyle, genetics.........

I've never trusted Google since.

The best person to speak to is your consultant. Though, he/she won't be able to give you a specific date

Look after yourself and enjoy the wedding.

[TasteLessFood4Life]

As some have suggested, the data in the studies might be skewed to people in older age anyway. From that base, it could be that 10 years is pretty reasonable if you are 70, for example. There is definitely a selection bias in these studies purely because it is more common in older people.You might have the odd- outlier, but on average not impactful enough to change the dial.

So, dont worry - you are still young and have age on your side - and can realise your dreams ambitions without fear.