HFpEF

I have HFpEF too.
Cardio tells me it is likely the result of the remodeling of my heart due to Afib.
I recent study done is Australia seems to show that eliminate the Afib can cause the remodeling to be reversed.

Something is causing the heart to change. Hypertension? Kidney failing function? Many choices….but the deal is to first eliminate or reduce the cause, then fix your diet so that you eliminate the salt and other risk factors.

My cardiologist only prescribes drugs…I read the latest studies to try to understand how to help myself. I am on Lasix and Jardiance…mostly to deal with sodium…. Otherwise the medical profession has no real answers and certainly no in depth understanding of why the remodeling occurs…just correlation.

Slowing the progress of this HF is a big issue for me. The impact is the constant breathlessness. Once I realized that it was not my lungs failing..but blood circulation (rather failure to move blood effectively)…I came to understand that no amount of strenuous exercise would change it. But..I remain active and just put up with constantly having to stop to catch my breath

One more thing….I do not have hypertension. I am not over weight. I am not diabetic. I have no metabolic disorders of any kind. No heart problems in my family. In short…cardiologist have next to nothing to offer me. HFpEF is not understood by cardiologist, few studies have looked directly at this…most include patients with multiple risk factors in the studies…so that doesn’t apply to me.

Get a second opinion. Not that the treatment offered will be much different. The docs all want to treat me as a patient with heart disease and other diseases. I, like you, have no heart disease or co-morbidities. No high blood pressure, no diabeties, not over weight, control sodium to under 1500mg daily by diet, exercise 5-6 days, 180-200 minutes weekly. My heart failure is diagnosed as idiopathic cardiomyopathy with LBBB causing erratic PVCs that often exceed 10%-35% of my beats in any given minute. This means my heart failure has no known cause. Two cardilogists told me, one from the Mayo, that is is likely caused by a unknown virsus. Covid??. I looked it up people like us represent .28% of women in this country diagonosed with heart failure. The docs are treating us with medicines developed for the 99.72% of the HF women patients. I keep advocating for the least treatments that won't jeapardize my excellent health with drugs that are not proven to help my condition.

Read the Empire study. It does show an improvement using Jardiance in HFpEF patients. They have no idea why, but the results are conclusive.

Now…understand that their measure is based solely on reduced HOSPITAL STAYS from this condition.

But, I breathe somewhat easier on it than off.

Milk thistle…use it daily to help kidneys and liver retain healthy function even though I take these drugs

Yes I’m in the same boat - no other symptoms RT heart disease. I am breathless upon exertion and have qualified for a portable oxygen concentrator.
I have a concentrator for nighttime use and that’s improved my sleep enormously.

Interesting your cardiologist believe your condition was caused by a virus. I never had covid, but three weeks after my third vaccine, I needed a pacemaker. It’s been down hill since. Now, the HFpEF.
Do you find your symptoms are increasing or are stable?

This was helpful in that I appreciate having similar company on this journey. Already, reading your and Dizzy’s comments, I have a broader perspective on the disorder.
It’s interesting to me that Cleveland Clinic has an entire department for HFpEF. Not sure what research may be coming out of there. Wish they had a support group like this too! I like the thought of getting a second opinion from them, but road trip from CT not in my wheelhouse.

I am surprised there isn’t more attention to HFpEF. From what I read…it is a growing number of people with this. More than just the increased number of people over the age of 50…even adjusted for the population increase, the number of us is high and getting higher.

Two things I wonder about…but have seen no studies.
First is..we (over age 50) are the first generation to grow up eating industrial oil….that is..”vegetable” oil, corn oil. Sunflowers oil, saffron oil, etc. etc. the generations before us never had such a thing. The other is the saturation of micro plastics in our diet.

Great observation Katie, and certainly worthy of study. It would probably be another unsurprising study result!

I do not have HFpEF. My case is simular to katekateny in that I have no co-morbidities, naturally low blood pressue, 98/64 this morning, no hardening of arteries, or plaques in my heart vessels, no history of family heart disease, perfect blood chemistry except for calcium score of 40. I was completely healthy. Then in 2023 I started being exhausted all the time, I got dizzy at work whenever I got up from my desk and fainted a few times. I couldn't breathe lying down, couldn't go on bike rides with my husband because I would get dizzy even at a moderate to slow pace. My Physican's Assistant at my annual exam took an EKG and immeditely corrected diagnosed left vententricular abnormality. It took 10 months to get into a cardiologist due to my health insurance. Cardioligist 1, flummoxxed said maybe an unknown virus, so went to Mayo for consult, Mayo cardiologist also said maybe a virus. Still no clear reason.