MORE than 200 people have attended an information evening on the topic of Heart Failure in Letterkenny, organised by Letterkenny General Hospital in conjunction with the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF).
As heart failure is increasing, mainly due to the success in treating heart disease and hypertension early, Letterkenny General Hospital and the IHF are trying to raise awareness of the condition with the general public and ensure that it is placed firmly on the health agenda.
Cathy Farrell, Heart Failure Nurse Specialist, Letterkenny General Hospital, comments; “Heart failure is very common and there are about 90,000 people currently living with the condition in Ireland. It can develop at any age but becomes more common with increasing age.
“Heart failure is one of the most common causes of hospitalisation in patients over 65. The burden of heart failure on people, their families and the health service is increasing due to our ageing population, better survival after heart attacks, and poorly controlled risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and smoking.”
The information evening involved presentations on the diagnosis and management of heart failure by Dr Santhosh David, Consultant Cardiologist, Letterkenny General Hospital; Cathy Farrell, Heart Failure Nurse Specialist, LGH; Raphoe-based GP, Dr John Dowling; Mary Ryan, Pharmacist, LGH; Tommy Kerr, Physiotherapist Manager, LGH, and a patient who has heart failure.
It is hoped that support groups for people with heart failure will be established in the Donegal area as a result of the huge interest in this event.
The Irish Heart Foundation has produced a booklet for patients called ‘Living well with Heart Failure’. This can be downloaded at:
http://www.irishheart.ie/iopen24/pub/patient_booklets/living_with_heart_failure.pdf.
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