Overview

As with any chronic illness, heart failure is best controlled by early diagnosis and prevention. Some heart failure is idiopathic (another name for "cause unknown"), but in many cases, lifestyle is a major factor.

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One additional note: Claims that women are less vulnerable to heart failure than men are untrue. Heart failure affects women and men equally, so both men and women need to be aware of the condition and how to prevent it from occurring or progressing.

This section discusses heart failure and:

• Coronary artery disease and heart attack
• Damage to the heart valves or a heart murmur
• Heart enlargement
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• The family link
• Women