Heart failure is a disease affecting 26 million people worldwide. Due to the aging population, the number of patients with heart failure continues to increase. The prevalence of heart failure in Korea, which was 0.77% in 2002, increased nearly threefold in 15 years to 2.24% in 2018.
As the number of heart failure patients increases at home and abroad, opinions are being raised that social discussions on the management of heart failure patients should be actively conducted.
Recently, as a result of collecting and analyzing data of patients with heart failure, a research result has been published that suggests that the social environment can affect heart failure, drawing attention. Detailed research results are as follows.
◇ ‘Social weakness’ that increases heart disease mortality
According to a study published in the international journal Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, patients who do not feel socially connected have an increased risk of death and side effects due to cardiovascular disease.
Researchers conducted the experiment on 310 heart failure patients with an average age of 78 years. Participants answered questionnaires asking whether they lived alone and how useful they felt friends and family were.
As a result of a follow-up study of about two years, it was revealed that 61% of all participants did not feel socially connected. Of these, 24% of the total died or developed another cardiovascular disease.
The researchers defined this characteristic of not feeling social connection as ‘social weakness’.
They concluded that patients with social fragility were significantly more likely to die within two years of heart failure than those without.
◇ Continuous social activity lowers the risk
Professor Angelina Soutin of the Department of Social Medicine at Florida State University School of Medicine, USA, explained that social weakness can exacerbate heart failure.
He said, “Human beings are essential to social interaction in life, and if this is not met, it can take a big hit on the body, which can lead to heart disease.”
Dr. Johanna Contreras, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, said, “As people age, their physical and cognitive functions decline as well.”
He noted that specific goals such as a diet that can be a lasting motivator, a promise to visit a doctor, or a promise to participate in a community can promise a better prognosis.
◇ Need to fill ‘self-efficacy’ to overcome disease
Dr. Satoshi Katano of the Rehabilitation Department of Sapporo Medical University Hospital explained how ‘self-efficacy’, the perception that one is helpful to society, is related to the treatment of illness.
“People who believe they are unhelpful have lower self-efficacy and control than those who believe they are useful, which is more likely to lead to reduced engagement in health-promoting activities and ultimately to poorer health,” he said.
Self-efficacy is difficult to fill on your own. When social activities are involved, the patient can fill a sense of efficacy through small acknowledgment from people around him, which is also effective in slowing down the progress of the disease.
At this time, in the case of patients with very poor mobility, social activities may be very difficult regardless of their will. Accordingly, various policy supports are needed to help patients overcome their unfavorable physical conditions and fulfill social bonds.[End_Mark]