how long can he live with heart failure? pls read?

Question

my 81 years old friend had 2 major heart attack and 1 minor, the most recent one is 7 months ago. He takes fluid tablets everyday (he suppose to but he doesn't take all the time), recently he has started drinking some beer and eating alot of icecream and fry food (don't know why he does this to himself), his symptoms are EXTREME short of breath, he couldn't even cross the road to catch a bus, but sometime he gets better the next day, also he feels quite sleepy, another symptoms is that he gets tired from walking easily, he needs to stop after walking 5 steps. Also his memory is not very good. Please tell me how long can he live?

Answer 1

Its impossible to say, but it may be just a matter of months if he isn't taking his meds properly

Answer 2

The life expectancy of the average 81yo male in western society is about 4-5 more years.

However, your friend seems quite unhealthy. I think his life expectancy should be less than that.

If he doesn't stay away from the ice-cream and fried food he is a sitting target for another heart attack.

The fluid tablets he should take in preference to the beer.

But you know, there comes a time when life is short and you don't care very much because whatever you do you are going to die. Some people believe that this is a time where you might as well enjoy life. Maybe he should have LOTS of beer with his fried food and keep some pain killers on hand. I would only advocate this pathway if he is settled and ready to die.

Answer 3

i'm a 11 3 hundred and sixty 5 days congestive heart failure affected person, ej fraction grew to become into in trouble-free terms 15 % final 3 hundred and sixty 5 days mattress ridden for 6 months, 40 seven heart assaults in trouble-free terms 40% of a heart left in there working have had my defibrillator for 8 years now, began heart transplant ideas preparing then THEN something stunning happned i began out feeling greater valuable and greater valuable ej as much as 22% and hiking , feeling large I propose working 10 hours an afternoon at homestead poking around cleansing and stuff. DONT EVER provide DONT EVER think of thiss it i think the little area in me began struggling with and finding different blood sources SO FOR NOW i'm no longer on the transplant checklist !!!!!!!! I relish EVERYSINGLE DAY !!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

A useful predictor of mortality is the American Heart Association heart failure class. It has been validated and predicts mortality risk accurately. However you have to realize that these data are epidemiologic; that is, the information applies to the entire group of people with the particular characteristic. Any single individual's risk cannot be accurately estimated through such means.

It sounds like your friend has Class 4 heart failure, which would give an overall mortality risk (chance of dying within one year) of 30-70%.

Answer 5

hi... i believe that nobody can really answer your question. Every human being has his limits and capacities. And sometimes people without any illness die (in accidents etc..). But one of my elder relatives has the same symptoms and she had 2 heart attacks almost 10 years ago.. she doesn't care about her diet etc.. she also has short of breath. Everyday i feel lucky that she is still with us. I wish your friend a very long and happy life.

Answer 6

That is very hard to tell. It depends on how much his heart is functioning. You should talk to a cardiologist to find out more information. Best of Luck

Answer 7

National mortality statistics for heart failure



In 2001, just over 11,500 deaths due to heart failure were officially recorded in the UK. However, the number of deaths attributed to heart failure in national mortality statistics is likely to be a huge underestimate of the actual number of deaths caused by heart failure. Guidance on death certificates - that heart failure is not a cause but a mode of death – explicitly discourages doctors from noting heart failure as the underlying cause of death. This means that other causes of death, such as coronary heart disease, are more commonly given as the cause of death in the death certificates of people with heart failure.





Survival after a diagnosis of heart failure



Prognosis from heart failure is poor. Data from the London Heart Failure Study show that around 40% of people die within one year of an initial diagnosis of heart failure.



Comparing one-year survival rates for heart failure with those for a number of common cancers shows that prognosis from heart failure is relatively poor. The one-year survival rate for heart failure is worse than those for breast, prostate and bladder cancer, better than those for lung and stomach cancer, and very similar to that for cancer of the colon.





Better estimates of mortality from heart failure

Combining data on incidence and survival, we estimate1 that in 2001, the true number of deaths from heart failure in the UK was at least 24,000. This means at least 4% of all deaths in the UK are due to heart failure.

Answer 8

He is very ill and has apparently chosen to ignore the risk : benefit ratio of ignoring his cardiac diet, these are choices we all make in life.Sometimes people make choices we don't understand, but they have their own reasons for making them but, they have to be respected.
Wishing him good health and good luck.

Answer 9

He will live as long as he is able. He could last years or hours. At his age, whatever makes him happy is best.