600,000 Canadians affected: Heart failure and its symptoms

Some facts and figures about heart failure from a new report by the Heart and Stroke Foundation:

Heart failure is when the heart muscle has been damaged or weakened by disease or heart attacks and can’t pump blood efficiently through the body.

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Heart failure affects more than 600,000 Canadians. There are 50,000 new cases each year.

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There is no cure and many patients die within five to 10 years.

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Symptoms include shortness of breath, exhaustion and swelling in the legs, ankles and feet.

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The most common causes are heart attacks and high blood pressure.

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Patients have long, frequent hospital stays and the condition costs the economy more than $2.8 billion per year.