Heart Disease (2024)

FAQs

How long can I live with heart disease? ›

Research estimates that more than half of all people with congestive heart failure will survive for 5 years after diagnosis. About 35% will survive for 10 years. However, in some cases, a person can extend their life expectancy through lifestyle changes, medications, and surgery.

Can you recover from heart disease? Once you've been diagnosed with heart disease, you can't be cured. But you can treat the things that contributed to the development of coronary artery disease. In turn, this can reduce how the condition impacts your body.

Management and Treatment

Heart disease treatments may include: Changing your lifestyle: This could consist of cutting saturated fats from your meals, stopping the use of tobacco products or starting a walking program. Taking medicine: You can lower blood pressure and cholesterol with medicine.

Stage 1 of Congestive Heart Failure

This news may be surprising, as stage one of CHF does not exhibit any symptoms. Although CHF cannot be cured, you can make healthy lifestyle changes and take certain medication to manage this condition.

Coronary heart disease cannot be cured but treatment can help manage the symptoms and reduce the chances of problems such as heart attacks.

Chest pain, chest tightness, chest pressure and chest discomfort (angina) Shortness of breath. Pain in the neck, jaw, throat, upper belly area or back. Pain, numbness, weakness or coldness in the legs or arms if the blood vessels in those body areas are narrowed.

Living with heart disease may cause fear, anxiety, depression, and stress. You may worry about having heart problems or making lifestyle changes that are necessary for your health. Talk with your healthcare provider about how you feel, and consider seeking other types of support: Talk to a professional counselor.

If you cough a lot, often feel weak, have lost your appetite, and need to urinate a lot at night, you might have symptoms of heart failure. Heart failure is a long-term condition that usually comes on slowly.

What is the biggest indicator of heart disease? ›

Cholesterol levels. High blood cholesterol is defined as having too much cholesterol—a waxy, fatty substance—in the blood. Having either high LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) or low HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol)—or both—is one of the best predictors of your risk of heart disease.

Can heart problems make you sleep a lot? As your heart works overtime, it can cause tiredness, shortness of breath and feeling worn out. These symptoms are all signs of fatigue, one of the most common symptoms of congestive heart failure.

Following a heart-healthy eating pattern, drinking less alcohol, moving more and quitting smoking are all important parts of living well with a heart condition.

“Not all heart attacks lead to cardiac arrest,” says Dr. Spurlock. “Generally, your survival rate long-term with a heart attack is about 97 to 98%; with sudden cardiac arrest, your long-term survival rate is only about 50%.”

Outlook for heart failure

It can severely limit the activities you're able to do and is often eventually fatal. But it's very difficult to tell how the condition will progress on an individual basis. It's very unpredictable. Lots of people remain stable for many years, while in some cases it may get worse quickly.

There is no set time or lifespan for blocked arteries, but you can make sure to have a healthy life with the help of proper medical treatments and lifestyle changes.