risk factors
Last edited 03/2021 and last reviewed 09/2021
Many different conditions may predispose to heart failure:
- acute heart failure:
- ischemic heart disease - acute coronary syndromes, mechanical complications of acute MI
- valvular - stenosis, regurgitation, endocarditis
- hypertension/arrhythmia
- circulatory failure - septicaemia, thyrotoxicosis, pulmonary embolism
- decompensation of pre-existing chronic HF - cerebrovascular insults, infections
- chronic heart failure:
- conditions that damage heart muscle or limit its ability to function normally:
- coronary artery disease - commonest
- hypertension - next most common cause
- cardiomyopthy
- drugs – beta blockers, calcium antagonists, antiarrhythmics, cytotoxic agents
- toxins - alcohol, drugs, cocaine, mercury, cobalt, arsenic
- endocrine - diabetes, hypo/hyperthyroidism, Cushing's syndrome
- infiltrative conditions – sarcoidosis, amyloidosis
- other conditions – Chagas’ disease, HIV infection
- HF secondary to high cardiac output conditions
- anaemia
- thyrotoxicosis
- septicaemia
- liver failure
- arteriovenous shunts (1)
Notes (2):
-
hypertension, diabetes, smoking history, and previous myocardial infarction conferred a greater relative risk of heart failure in younger than in older people
-
risk factors had greater discriminatory value in predicting new onset of heart failure in younger than in older people
-
a greater proportion of the overall population attributable risk was explained by diabetes, smoking history, and previous myocardial infarction in younger than in older people
Reference:
- (1) European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2008. ESC guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure 2008
- (2) Tromp J et al.Age dependent associations of risk factors with heart failure: pooled population based cohort study.BMJ 2021; 372 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n461