Heart failure study: Much knowledge of symptoms, little awareness of danger

Although the majority of respondents know about the main symptoms of heart failure and their prevention communication, but few are aware that this is a very serious disease with many forms of cancer mortality comparable. This shows the largest Germany-wide study on the knowledge and awareness of heart failure. was presented the study at the 79. Annual Meeting of the German Cardiac Society (DGK) in which from Wednesday to Saturday (3. 6 up. April) in Mannheim more than 7.500 participants discuss from around 25 countries current developments in all areas of cardiology. "There is a large discrepancy between the public's knowledge of the causes, symptoms and treatment of heart failure and the understanding of the severity of the disease and its prognosis," said study co-author Dr. Lindy Musial-Bright (Charite - Universitätsmedizin Berlin). "This could lead to dangerous misjudgments in affected and delay proper treatment."

During the investigation, 2.635 people in Berlin, Marburg, Hannover and Göttingen were interviewed. More than 60 percent of respondents were able to answer questions of cause, symptoms and treatment of heart failure properly and knew about preventive measures such as balanced nutrition, exercise or quit smoking Opinion. 44 percent of respondents were affected directly or indirectly through relatives or friends of heart failure. However, the investigation also shows a number of common misunderstandings: Every fifth respondent believed falsely, heart failure would regress spontaneously within one month. Less than a third of the study participants knew that the mortality in heart failure is similar to many forms of cancer. The most important information sources for health information in general and those for heart disease, respondents named newspapers and magazines (52 percent), radio and TV (50 percent), followed by the general practitioner (40 percent). Whether other information are used, it is not apparent from the study summary.

"The results of this survey are interesting, but cannot be applied to the general population, because heart failure patients and their relatives are disproportionately represented in the sample," comments DGK press spokesman Prof. Eckart Fleck.

Source:

L Musial-Bright et al. Good news, bad news: results of a heart failure awareness study in Germany. Abstract V272. Clin Res Cardiol 102, Suppl 1, 2013

Source: Mannheim [DGK]