Silent killer affects 900,000 Brits - but risk is lower if you have one feature
Nearly a million people in the UK are affected by heart failure every year – and now a scientific study has suggested that one physical feature in particular may reduce one's risk of developing the deadly condition.
Scientists from Kitasato University in Tokyo, Japan analysed the leg strength of around 1,000 people and discovered that for every 5% body weight increase in the legs, the likelihood of heart failure dropped by 11%. Overall, patients with high quad strength had a 41% lower risk of suffering heart failure following a heart attack.
The findings corroborate pre-existing research which has associated strength training with reduced blood pressure, protection against heart disease and improved circulation.
A Japanese study found that patients with high quad strength had a 41% lower risk of suffering heart failure following a heart attack (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Kensuke Ueno, a co-author of the research, said: "Strength training involving the quadriceps muscles should be recommended for patients who have experienced a heart attack to prevent heart failure."
According to the NHS, heart failure – less commonly termed congestive heart failure – predominantly affects older people and occurs when the heart is too weak, damaged or stiff to pump blood around the body properly. In and of itself, heart failure is by no means a death sentence but warrants specialist treatment.
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Many causes of heart failure remain unknown, but the main conditions include:
Heart attack (coronary heart disease)
Inherited heart disease (for example, cardiomyopathy)
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Heart rhythm or valve abnormalities
Viral infection and damage from the immune system (myocarditis)
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have also highlighted certain lifestyle factors that may elevate the risk of heart failure, such as smoking tobacco, eating foods high in fat, cholesterol and sodium, not being sufficiently active, and excessive alcohol intake. Obesity is also thought to be linked to heart failure.
James Leiper, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: "A larger waist measurement is often a sign that you have too much visceral fat, which sits around our internal organs and impairs the way our heart and blood vessels function. Heart failure is a chronic and incurable condition that worsens over time, so these findings underline the importance of managing your weight now".
The main symptoms of heart failure to look out for include:
Breathlessness after activity or at rest
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Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Feeling tired most of the time and finding exercise particularly exhausting
Feeling faint or lightheaded
Swollen ankles, legs and stomach
Difficulty concentrating or decreased alertness
Rapid weight gain from fluid build-up
A cough that brings up white or pink mucus with spots of blood
Wheezing
Chest pain if heart failure is caused by a heart attack
Some people also experience a persistent cough, fast heart rate and dizziness. Symptoms can develop quickly in the case of acute heart failure, or gradually over weeks and months in the case of chronic heart failure.
The NHS advises anyone experiencing persistent or gradually worsening symptoms to see their GP as soon as possible. Recommended treatments include lifestyle changes, medicine, the use of implanted devices to control heart rhythm, and, more rarely, bypass operations and heart transplants.
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