By Cara Murez
Heart failure can develop at any age, but it can be prevented or treated, one cardiologist says.
Heart failure happens when the heart becomes too stiff or weak, no longer able to keep up with the body’s demands for pumping blood. The primary cause is heart disease, but the heart muscle can also stiffen because of poorly controlled high blood pressure or diabetes. More rarely, cardiomyopathies or myocarditis from a virus can cause the condition.
Some other risk factors include sleep apnea, some cancer medications and poor lifestyle behaviors.
“Maintaining a healthy diet, treating obesity, avoiding tobacco use and secondhand smoke, and avoiding alcohol can help prevent heart failure,” said Dr. Gosia Wamil, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London….