The incidence of heart failure is on the rise. Of the total number of cases, about 60 percent result from recurrent heart attacks - a consequence of coronary artery disease. About 30 percent are damaged, either by hypertension alone, or viral infections. Most of the remaining 10 percent are deemed idiopathic, meaning no cause can be found. A small percent are the result of a condition known as peripartum cardiomyopathy that occurs around the time of delivery in 1 in 4,000 pregnancies, often resulting in permanent damage to the heart.
Half get no treatment.
One quarter are treated but not controlled. Only one-quarter are treated and controlled. Hypertension is really a major player in heart failure. The cardiologist points to the Framingham studies which followed 10,000 individuals in Framingham, MA, over a period of 20 to 25 years. Hypertension was clearly identified as a major factor in heart failure in the majority of cases.