Discovery: What causes it: heart attack and angina
What causes it: heart attacks and angina
Most of the people we talked to did not know what had caused their heart failure, though many realised that the heart could be affected by many things. Some said they did not think it was important to know what had caused their heart failure.
This section concentrates on the experiences of those who said their heart failure was caused by coronary heart disease and heart attacks. (For cardiomyopathy and valvular disease as causes see 'Other causes'.) A few also thought that heart failure meant that their hearts - like them - had simply grown old.
Some thought that heavy smoking had contributed to their heart failure. Several older men had started smoking when they were teenagers and had maintained the habit until middle age. A retired miner who took up smoking when he was 14 said he had had a heart attack at 46 and had managed to give up smoking years later when he retired.
About half of all those diagnosed with heart failure already have coronary heart or artery disease which is generally thought to be linked to smoking, eating a high fat diet and taking too little exercise. Several people acknowledged that eating too much, drinking too much alcohol and working too hard had played a big part in their heart problems.
Heart failure can also be preceded by one or more heart attacks. Many of those we talked to had experienced heart attacks. Some had been able to take early retirement, but others could not afford to stop work and had changed to less physically demanding jobs. Some said that having a heart attack had frightened them into giving up smoking straightaway. Others said that they had changed drinking and eating habits and tried to exercise more regularly.
Several people had been told they had had 'silent' heart attacks and not known about them until other symptoms prompted medical tests; for instance one woman who went into heart failure after bouts of vomiting was told she had probably had a silent heart attack and known nothing about it at the time. A few who had high blood pressure said they had been given medication but did not necessarily connect it with heart failure.
Several people experienced pains in their chests and arms both before and after diagnosis. Some referred to their pains as angina, but did not necessarily see it as a contributory cause of heart failure.
A few people said that heart failure was part of growing old and was the result of ordinary bodily 'wear and tear'. Some knew they had heart problems (many did not use the term 'heart failure'), which they half-expected because of their age (see also 'Peoples ideas about causes').
Last reviewed March 2012.
Last updated March 2012.
