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In the United States (US), the latest data reveals approximately 6.2 million adults have been diagnosed with heart failure (HF). The year 2018 recorded over thirty-seven thousand deaths from heart failure alone (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). The Florida Health Department (2019) approximated heart disease accounting for two of ten deaths in Florida. Heart failure occurs when the heart vessels and chambers can no longer pump enough blood or oxygen to the other organs in the body. Heart failure can be diagnosed as right-sided, left-sided, and congestive heart failure. Right-sided heart failure occurs when the heart loses its pumping abilities, and blood then pools and backs up in the body’s veins. While left-sided heart failure has two different types, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is more commonly known as systolic failure and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) diastolic failure. In systolic dysfunction, the heart loses its ability to pump blood into circulation.
In contrast, diastolic dysfunction occurs when the heart muscle has become too stiff and cannot fill appropriately during the resting phase between lub-dub. During congestive heart failure (CHF), the blood returning to the heart back up into the veins and in conjunction causes the body’s tissue to become congested. (American Heart Association [AHA], 2021).
When considering primary prevention of heart failure, first and foremost is identifying the modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors and setting up strategic planning to prevent the illness. Furthermore, the population most susceptible to heart failure are those 65 years and older. Typically men are at greater risk for developing heart failure than women are. However, women tend to develop diastolic heart failure more frequently than men. Ethnicity also plays a significant role in the vulnerability of HF. African-Americans are more prone to getting HF before fifty years of age and dying from the condition. Some other common risk factors include family history and genetics, lifestyle factors, and medications, and pre-existing comorbidities. People with cardiovascular comorbidities have the highest chance of developing heart failure. Some of the most common cardiovascular comorbidities include hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and valvular disease. Other non-cardiovascular health conditions that immensely predispose individuals to HF include anemia, chronic kidney disease, chronic pulmonary disease, and many others (Savarese & Lund, 2017).
In Hernando County, Florida, heart disease is the number one cause of death. Per 2018 data, the county number is 576, with a county age-adjusted death rate of 163.6 and a Florida age-adjusted death rate of 150.8. With this data, we can conclude that more deaths associated with heart failure in the county than the overall average Florida HF death rate. To further investigate the high rankings of death related to HF, socioeconomics needs to be considered. The median household income for the county is 44,323, while the state of Florida is 50,883. Similarly, the percentage of persons below 100% of the Florida poverty line is less than that of the state, and likewise, the unemployment rate is higher in the county than in the state (WellFlorida Council, 2018). These statistics hold value in the congruency to understanding the high prevalence rate of individuals diagnosed with heart failure.
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