(Stockholm, Sweden, 3 September 2001) Practical guidance for heart failure treatment is now available. A set of recommendations, developed by a leading group of clinical experts in the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure, provide practical, stepwise guidance for non-specialists to support the implementation of evidence-based therapy, including ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers for heart failure. The guidance, published in the European Journal of Heart Failure, ¹ complements the recently published European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic heart failure.²

Heart failure is a common, distressing and disabling illness and is associated with worse outcomes than many forms of cancer. In simple terms it can be described as a condition in which the heart muscle progressively loses the ability to pump enough blood to meet the oxygen and other needs of the body. It is estimated that up to 50 million of the 1000 million people (5%) who inhabit the 47 nations of the European Society of Cardiology may have a heart failure related problem.³

For many patients the prognosis is poor: it is estimated that 50 per cent of patients with heart failure will die within five years. It is also a severe burden on healthcare resources. The direct costs of heart failure in developed countries is thought to be between 1 and 2% of the total healthcare budget, with a considerable proportion being attributable to hospitalisation costs.⁴ Although, with optimal treatment it is possible to reduce these costs and mortality. ⁴

Professor John McMurray, Professor of Medical Cardiology in the Clinical Research Initiative in Heart Failure at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and a lead author of the guidance said: "Under-treatment of heart failure denies patients the benefits of current interventions and has an adverse health economic effect in terms of increased
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Contact: Rina Amin
rina.amin@ketchum.com
44-7884-265-413
Ketchum
2-Sep-2001

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