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Medscape
5 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Cardiology Groups Position HF as Preventable Disease
Two leading cardiology groups have joined forces to position heart failure as a preventable condition, encouraging clinicians to recognize and manage key risk factors decades before symptoms appear. The joint statement, from the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) and the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC), calls the prevention of heart failure a lifelong endeavor that begins with the identification of early risk factors and lifestyle modification and extends throughout the care of patients with advanced disease. In this way, clinicians can help lessen hospitalizations, enhance patients' quality of life, and improve survival of the condition, which affects nearly 7 million American adults — according to the US CDC — and leads to more than 450,000 deaths per year in this country. The lifetime risk for developing heart failure is substantial, with approximately 1 in 4 Americans expected to develop the disease under current trends. While advances in medications and device-based therapies have improved care, mortality from the condition continues to rise and is projected to reach more than 11 million Americans by 2050, according to the HFSA. Clinical diagnostics such as blood and urine tests can reveal early signs of stress on the heart and kidneys, according to the new statement. These tests will allow patients to benefit from timely intervention, often with therapies that not only help manage symptoms but that can slow or reverse progression of the disease. Martha Gulati, MD, MS 'The new HFSA–ASPC statement on heart failure prevention is both timely and urgently needed,' said Martha Gulati, MD, MS, a co-author of the document and associate director of the Preventive and Cardiac Rehabilitation Center at the Smidt Heart Institute in Los Angeles. 'With more than 6 million Americans living with heart failure — and numbers projected to rise sharply in the coming decades — we must shift our focus from treating advanced disease to preventing it altogether. This statement provides a roadmap for clinicians and healthcare systems to address risk factors early, reduce disparities, and change the trajectory of this growing public health crisis.' Gulati called the statement 'a wake-up call' for clinicians who 'need to break down silos' between preventive cardiology and care for heart failure and create seamless strategies to identify and manage risks earlier. 'What we are witnessing is the beginning of a paradigm shift in how we approach cardiovascular care—one that moves us from episodic, siloed disease management to proactive, whole-person care anchored in prevention,' she said. Spurring Integrated Care A goal of the new initiative is greater reimbursement for preventive services — including cardiac rehabilitation, nutrition counseling, and behavioral support — which have historically been underutilized yet are critical for sustainable health improvement. The shift also promotes integrated models of care, which connect primary care with cardiology and subspecialties like nephrology and endocrinology. Anuradha Lala-Trindade, MD Nearly 80% of US adults meet the criteria for stages A/B heart failure, and the traditional focus on late-stage treatment has not stopped the increase in the prevalence of or mortality from the disease, according to Anuradha 'Anu' Lala-Trindade, MD, a co-author of the statement and an associate professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. In addition to stressing earlier identification and intervention, the statement's authors encouraged broadening the lens beyond traditional risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity to include sex-specific differences, genetic predisposition, environmental exposures, and lifestyle determinants to health. High blood pressure, found in nearly half of all US adults, is the number one preventable risk factor for a number of cardiovascular diseases — including heart failure — as well as kidney disease, cognitive decline, and dementia, according to a new guideline from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. To control high blood pressure, patients are encouraged to make lifestyle changes and take medications as appropriate, and clinicians are encouraged to use the PREVENT risk calculator to estimate a patient's risk for cardiovascular disease and tailor treatment as warranted. The assessment considers measures of cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health. Lala-Trindade noted that the statement on heart failure 'is a call to action for us to move towards integrated models of care where the whole person is prioritized rather than different organ systems and disease processes being siloed. It delivers a unified, practical framework that clinicians can apply today: integrating cardiovascular, metabolic, and kidney health to bend the heart failure curve. Its impact is far-reaching and if implemented widely, quality of life can be preserved and longevity extended for millions.' Gulati has served on a data and safety monitoring board for Merck and serves on advisory boards for Medtronic, Bayer, and New Amsterdam. Lala-Trindade receives research support or honoraria from Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Cordio, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Zoll, WhiteSwell, Abiomed, and Sequana Medical.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Heart Failure Society of America and American Society for Preventive Cardiology Joint Statement Calls for a Shift in Heart Failure Prevention and Care
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Heart failure affects more than 6 million Americans and is projected to reach over 11 million by 2050. Despite therapeutic advances, nearly 1 in 4 patients are readmitted within 30 days of discharge and 1 in 5 dies within a year. The economic burden exceeds $30 billion annually, representing a growing national health crisis, one that demands a new approach. For the first time, a joint scientific statement from the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) and the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) places prevention at the forefront of heart failure care, marking a pivotal shift in how the field approaches the disease. Jointly published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure (JCF) and the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, "The Continuum of Prevention and Heart Failure in Cardiovascular Medicine" provides an integrated framework of preventive strategies across all stages of heart failure, regardless of ejection fraction, from risk identification in healthy individuals to secondary prevention in those with established disease, and even tertiary strategies in patients with advanced therapies such as LVADs or heart transplants. The statement reframes heart failure as a preventable condition rather than an inevitable outcome, calling for clinicians to identify and manage risk factors earlier, even decades before symptoms arise. For patients, this means heart failure prevention begins not in the hospital, but at routine health visits, through strategies like blood pressure control, glucose management, weight loss, genetic risk screening, and lifestyle interventions. This is the first national roadmap to formally link preventive cardiology with heart failure management, emphasizing a collaborative, multidisciplinary model. "This is a wake-up call for the field," said Martha Gulati, MD, MS, co-lead author. "We need to break down silos between preventive cardiology and heart failure care and create seamless strategies to identify and manage risk earlier. This needs to be a part of cardiovascular disease prevention." "Prevention in heart failure isn't a phase—it's a mindset. It applies not only before the onset of disease but continues after diagnosis and even following heart replacement therapy. At every stage, prevention ensures we care for the whole person, not just the failing heart," added Anuradha Lala, MD, co-chair. "This joint statement equips clinicians with a roadmap for early intervention, team-based care, and emerging tools to improve outcomes." Key Highlights from the Statement: Expanded Focus on Risk Factors: Emphasizes both traditional risks, such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, and emerging drivers including sex-specific (e.g., hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, premature menopause), genetic, environmental, and social determinants of health. Lifespan-Based Prevention Framework: Advocates for prevention strategies across all stages of heart failure, from at-risk individuals to those with advanced therapies. Use of Innovative Tools: Supports incorporation of biomarkers, polygenic risk scores, and AI-based models to improve early detection and risk stratification. Team-Based Care Models: Promotes multidisciplinary collaboration across specialties to deliver coordinated, preventive cardiovascular care. Holistic Approach to Prevention: Stresses the role of lifestyle, nutrition, cardiac rehab, psychological health, and equity-driven care in improving outcomes. The statement urges institutions and clinicians to adopt a prevention-first mindset to curb the growing burden of heart failure. The Continuum of Prevention and Heart Failure in Cardiovascular Medicine: A Joint Statement from the Heart Failure Society of America and the American Society for Preventive Cardiology is available online in the JCF at In addition to reviewing the guidance found within The Continuum of Prevention and Heart Failure in Cardiovascular Medicine: A Joint Statement from the Heart Failure Society of America and the American Society for Preventive Cardiology, clinicians can use the Top Take-Home Messages slide deck, designed by the statement's lead author, as a quick reference guide, available on the website. View all HFSA published scientific statements, guidelines and other clinical documents. About the Heart Failure Society of America The Heart Failure Society of America, Inc. (HFSA) represents the first organized effort by heart failure experts from the Americas to provide a forum for all those interested in heart function, heart failure, and congestive heart failure (CHF) research and patient care. The mission of HFSA is to provide a platform to improve and expand heart failure care through collaboration, education, innovation, research, and advocacy. HFSA members include physicians, scientists, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, trainees, other healthcare workers and patients. For more information, visit About the Journal of Cardiac Failure The Journal of Cardiac Failure (JCF) publishes the highest quality science in the field of heart failure with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, mentorship, multidisciplinary partnerships, and patient-centeredness. Published papers span original investigator-initiated work to state-of-the-art reviews, guidelines and scientific statements, expert perspectives, early career and trainee spotlight pieces, patient and patient-partner narratives. JCF also emphasizes the power of language and prioritizes innovative approaches to dissemination of published work to reach and impact the broader heart failure community. About the American Society for Preventive Cardiology When the ASPC was founded in 1985, its members were academic physicians and educators, including frequent recipients of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Preventive Cardiology Academic Award (PCAA). The organization's goals were to develop programs that enhanced basic and clinical education, and to initiate and expand interdisciplinary clinical services and research initiatives in preventive cardiology. In 2009, the goals of the organization became broader. Membership has grown to more than 1,400 academic and clinical practitioners as the ASPC seeks to represent the increasingly multidisciplinary group of health care providers (including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, dieticians, and other allied health care specialists) along with researchers who share an interest in and passion for preventive cardiology. The mission of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology is to provide a framework for the educational interests of health care providers to promote the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. The specific goals of the organization are to organize and conduct professional educational programs to emphasize the processes of risk factor identification and intervention based on the most rigorous basic, clinical, and population science. Objectives to achieve these goals include stand-alone CME/CE and non-CME/CE programs on CVD prevention, and partnerships with other professional groups to present and promote CME/CE and non-CME/CE programs on CVD prevention and to enhance opportunities for preventive cardiology at all levels of professional development. Media Contact: Laura Poko, 301-798-4493, ext. 226, lpoko@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Heart Failure Society of America
