This document discusses heart failure, including its definition, epidemiology, pathogenesis, classification, clinical features, and management. Some key points include:
- Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome resulting from structural or functional impairment of ventricular filling or ejection of blood.
- It affects over 21 million adults worldwide and its incidence increases significantly with age. Mortality rates remain around 50% within 5 years of diagnosis.
- Heart failure is classified into HFrEF (reduced ejection fraction) and HFpEF (preserved ejection fraction), which have different underlying pathophysiologies.
- Management of HFrEF focuses on drugs that have been shown to reduce mortality in landmark trials, including ACE inhibitors