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. He calls heart failure a cascade of events that becomes a vicious cycle. While it was long thought to be solely a mechanical problem, it is now understood to be far more complex. The pump failure is the initial inciting event.