Adnkronos Rome, October 10 (Adnkronos Salute) – Heart failure is a rapidly increasing chronic disease, accounting for 800 cases in Italy and the leading cause of hospitalization worldwide for people over 65. The most common causes include ischemic heart disease, coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, a previous heart attack, and some congenital diseases.
But arrhythmias, pericardial and endocardial diseases, or heart valve problems can also trigger this condition. Today and tomorrow, Anmco hospital cardiologists met in Rome for the National Convention of Anmco Heart Failure Centers 2025, a scientific event focused on innovations and the most effective clinical strategies for managing heart failure.
"Heart failure represents a major public health problem globally, with high rates of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare resource utilization," explains Massimo Grimaldi, President of the National Association of Cardiology (ANMCO) and Director of Cardiology at the F. Miulli Hospital in Acquaviva delle Fonti (Bari). "Being the final destination of various cardiac diseases, its prevalence increases progressively with age. Patients with heart failure have a prevalence of approximately 1,7% in the general population, rising to around 10% in patients over 65 and reaching a prevalence of as high as 20% in those over 80. The number of patients with heart failure has increased exponentially in recent decades due to longer life expectancy and improved diagnostic capabilities. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options have also improved significantly in recent years. Today, proper therapy can change the natural history of the disease, ensuring improved survival, reduced hospitalizations, and a better quality of life."
"The best prevention for heart failure," Grimaldi continues, "certainly begins with adopting a healthy lifestyle and managing risk factors such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and obesity. Despite the excellent results achieved in recent years in numerous study protocols, new therapies are facing challenges in their real-world implementation. Other treatments are extremely promising, but still niche or lack robust data. This convention aims to engage all those involved in heart failure nationwide, focusing on the most relevant innovations and on both clinical and organizational methods to optimize treatment for a syndrome with a significant prognostic and economic impact."
"Heart failure is truly a healthcare challenge. Early diagnosis is essential because today we have recommended medications available, the so-called four therapeutic pillars," emphasizes Fabrizio Oliva, past president of ANMCO and director of Cardiology 1 at Niguarda Hospital in Milan. "The data from the Bring Up 3 Scompenso study, the latest installment of ANMCO's observational research, have demonstrated the ability of Italian cardiologists to use these four treatments at a high rate, with numbers higher than all recently published international registries. The Bring Up 3 Scompenso study was conceived as a nationwide initiative with the aim of guiding the implementation of the latest guidelines in national clinical practice and improving the overall quality of care for patients with heart failure. A very large number of Italian cardiology centers participated in the study, thus providing a comprehensive picture of the cardiology situation in our country, and more than 65% of the centers reached or exceeded the protocol's target of 30 patients. This observational research represents a unique experience at the national and European level." This demonstrates once again how membership participation is the driving force behind improving the quality of healthcare services and achieving important scientific research objectives."
"During the convention, we will also discuss pulmonary hypertension, a rare and complex disease, for which the etiological definition and correct diagnostic assessment are the only and indispensable prerequisites for optimal patient care," emphasizes Federico Nardi, president-designate of ANMCO and director of Cardiology at Santo Spirito Hospital in Casale Monferrato (Alessandria). "In recent years, scientific research has made significant progress in understanding the pathophysiology and developing targeted therapies, improving patients' quality of life and life expectancy. Therefore, it remains essential to make an early diagnosis, promptly recognizing the signs of pulmonary hypertension and initiating an effective and personalized treatment plan for our patients."
"The clinical picture of pulmonary hypertension often overlaps with other conditions," Nardi continues, "and the physician treating heart failure must be prepared to establish a proper diagnostic pathway to identify the cause of the increased pulmonary pressure, a prerequisite for optimal patient care. The multidisciplinary team so widely discussed in the ESC/ERS guidelines on pulmonary hypertension cannot be improvised; it is the result of a long journey, extensive experience, collaboration, and collaboration. This part of the Heart Failure Centers Convention aims to demonstrate the complexity of the diagnostic pathway for patients with pulmonary hypertension, and the importance of establishing a correct and, if possible, early etiological diagnosis, which must always be followed by appropriate treatment. Raising awareness is a fundamental objective, not only in chronic cases, but also in the acute phases of the disease."