Queen Latifah, the spokesperson for the Rise Above Heart Failure campaign, knows first-hand the importance of understanding the symptoms and treatment for heart failure. She’s the primary caregiver for her mother, Rita Owens, who is living with the condition.
“My mom’s heart failure diagnosis was a shock to our family,” Queen Latifah said. “We thought she was just getting older and we didn’t know heart failure’s signs or symptoms. I’m challenging Americans to join me in taking our new ‘What The HF?’ quiz on RiseAboveHF.org. In caring for my mom, I’ve found knowledge is power when it comes to managing her health and this is an easy way to learn more and share with others. And, if you recognize any of the symptoms in yourself or a loved one, talk to your doctor right away.” Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart can’t pump blood efficiently enough to meet the body’s needs. More than 6.5 million Americans are living with HF and more than 308,000 people die from it each year. One in five people will have heart failure in their lifetime with nearly a million new cases diagnosed each year.
But, the condition is manageable if it’s diagnosed early. Making sure patients and their families recognize symptoms and talk to a doctor to get on an appropriate treatment plan is critical.
“Awareness is a key to battling heart failure in the U.S.,” said Kathy Magliato, M.D., AHA spokesperson and cardiothoracic surgeon in Los Angeles. “With projections showing more than 8 million people will be living with heart failure within the next decade, it’s worrisome that patients and their caregivers often don’t understand what they need to know to prevent, detect and