Home Is Where the Heart - and Your Health - Is
Adults, seniors, men, women - patients from just about every walk of life can and do develop chronic heart disease, a condition in which it is increasingly difficult for the heart to pump oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. A new study has indicated what we've seen for years - given they are seeking the appropriate treatment for their condition, patients with chronic heart disease fare better at home versus the hospital.
According to U.S and World Report, an estimated five million North Americans suffer from the disease, and this number is undoubtedly to the growing prevalence of obesity and diabetes. In the United States, worsening chronic heart failure is the cause of more than one million hospital admissions a year, and patients have a 50 percent risk of readmission within six months of discharge, according to the authors of a study published in the Sept. 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
We want to hear from you! What are the greatest factors contributing this finding? Why do heart disease patients benefit from being treated in their homes rather than the hospital?