Challenging heart failure

Let’s challenge heart failure, together.

If you or someone you love has heart failure, you are not alone. You’re surrounded by a community of other patients, caregivers, physicians, nurses, researchers, and others who are equally committed to changing the future of heart failure. Even as a curious soul, this knowledge can help to prevent the possibility of heart failure in the future. And, of course, reducing heart failure prevalence can help to minimise the large burden on society.

We can all contribute to making a difference, helping to create a future where this condition is more manageable as a whole. It’s a long road, but the journey to get there will be easier when we all work together.

That change starts with increasing awareness and understanding.

Heart failure affects approximately 64 million people worldwide¹,

yet public awareness and understanding of the condition is low. In a recent survey of the general public, commissioned by AstraZeneca in partnership with the World Heart Federation, it was found that, of those
surveyed;

Nearly half (48%) of those who told us that they had some knowledge of heart failure didn’t recognise a description of the disease².

Of those surveyed in our recent study on HF awareness, awareness of the 3 main symptoms is low

Shortness of breath when resting or being active

feeling unusually tired or weak

Swelling of the feet, ankles, legs, abdomen, or the small of the back

People were asked to select one disease for each symptom from a list of heart failure, diabetes, heart attack, stroke or asthma^2,3

And it wasn't just the general public who lacked awareness of the heart failure.

Policymakers also had a significant blind spot when it came to heart failure.

Only 40% were aware that heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalisations among people over 65 years of age, and instead cited other conditions such as cancer and respiratory disease^4,5.

Together, we can help change the outlook for millions of people affected by heart failure

Through our website, Spotlight on Heart Failure aims to provide you with quality information and shareable tools to help spread our message.

References

GBD 2016 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet. 2017;390(10100):1211-1259
AstraZeneca PLP. Data on File. ID: REF – 74964. March 2020
Symptoms of heart failure. Available online at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-failure/symptoms/. Last accessed August 25 2020
AstraZeneca PLP. Data on File. ID: REF – 75059. March 2020
Díez-Villanueva P, Alfonso F. Heart failure in the elderly. J Geriatr Cardiol. 2016 Feb;13(2):115-7.

11 February 2021

Challenging heart failure

Let’s challenge heart failure, together.

That change starts with increasing awareness and understanding.

Of those surveyed in our recent study on HF awareness, awareness of the 3 main symptoms is low

And it wasn't just the general public who lacked awareness of the heart failure.

Together, we can help change the outlook for millions of people affected by heart failure

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