Heart failure is defined clinically as a syndrome in which patients have symptoms and signs resulting from an abnormality of cardiac structure and/or function

Can be left or right, commonly both.

Epidemiology:

1-2% of adults have HF with prevalance increasing

Prognosis - Generally poor, approximately 50% of people with HF die within 4 years of diagnosis

Common causes of HF

Coronary artery disease (most common cause, 35-40%):

• post MI
• Chronic Ischaemia

Hypertension (15-20%):

• Struggling against an afterload

Valvular disease:

• Regurgitation of a valve = volume overload
• Stenosis of a valve = extra force needed to overcome

HF secondary to myocardial disease:

• cardiomyopathies
• Arrhythmias
• Drugs (anti-arrhythmics, cytotoxics)