Impact

On people

The Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research estimates that 1-million Canadians have heart failure – many of whom do not yet know that they suffer from this condition. Due to that, this figure may actually be understated. A compromised circulatory system changes your life and can be so debilitating that almost half of the people afflicted with this disease can die within five years of diagnosis.

Life with heart failure can bring with it many new difficulties, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, a reduced ability to exercise, increased nighttime urination, swelling of the feet, legs, hands and face, appetite loss, nausea, difficulty concentrating and a persistent cough. In short, it is life-changing – for loved ones and caregivers as well.

It doesn’t have to be this way. While most cases of heart failure are (currently) irreversible, treatments can help ease symptoms and extend life.

On the system

Few diseases take a greater toll on Canada’s health-care system – up to $3 billion a year – than heart failure. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, heart failure has the highest average length of stay in hospital across the nation at 9-10 days per hospitalization. Given the growing epidemic of heart failure, its impact on our hospitals and health-care resources is only going to worsen.

As it stands, heart failure is a leading cause of inpatient hospitalizations, with newly diagnosed patients spending over 26 days of hospital resources in their first year of treatment. In all, this is the most rapidly rising cardiovascular disease among Canadians and one of the most expensive health problems we deal with collectively.

This reality is why the Centre maintains the ambitious goal of reducing heart failure re-hospitalizations by 50% within 10 years.