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Growing number of Canadians with heart failure putting strain on economy: report
A new report says more needs to be done to help a growing number of Canadians who are living with damaged hearts.
About 600,000 people are living with heart failure - an incurable, long-term condition where the heart is not pumping enough blood due to damage from heart attacks and disease, says the Heart and Stroke Foundation study.
That growing number is putting a strain on patients, their families and the economy, says David Sculthorpe, CEO of the foundation.
"There is so much we need to do as more Canadians develop this chronic, incurable condition - from earlier diagnosis to better end-of-life care and, ultimately, finding ways to help heal these damaged hearts."
Depending on the severity of symptoms, about half of heart-failure patients die within five years and most will die within 10 years, the report says.
Even with excellent care, heart-failure patients face tough challenges.
Marc Bains was a fit 23-year-old when he was diagnosed in 2008 after a cold virus attacked his heart and reduced its function to only 10 per cent. He was put on a heart transplant list and had a tiny defibrillator implanted in his chest.
Bains's health improved with treatment, exercise and an improved diet to the point where he was taken off the transplant list, but over the years he has had three cardiac arrests.
In 2014, he collapsed on a squash court after his defibrillator failed. He spent five days in an induced coma in hospital and two weeks in intensive care.
Growing number of Canadians with heart failure putting strain on economy: report | CTV News
