Levels of alcohol consumption currently considered safe by some countries are linked with development of heart failure, according to research presented at Heart Failure 2022, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). “This study adds to the body of evidence that a more cautious approach to alcohol consumption is needed,” said study author Dr. Bethany Wong of St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. “To minimise the risk of alcohol causing harm to the heart, if you don’t drink, don’t start. If you do drink, limit your weekly consumption to less than one bottle of wine or less than three-and-a-half 500 ml cans of 4.5% beer.”

A voice analysis app used by heart failure patients at home recognises fluid in the lungs three weeks before an unplanned hospitalisation or escalation in outpatient drug treatment. The late breaking research is presented at Heart Failure 2022, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). “The current standard of care just isn’t good enough for keeping patients with heart failure well and out of the hospital,” said study author Professor William Abraham of The Ohio State University, Columbus, US. “The system tested in this study was able to predict 80% of worsening heart failure in advance, compared to a 10–20% success rate for daily weight monitoring shown in previous studies. In the future, speech analysis, together with other clinical information, could be used to modify treatments before a patient’s condition deteriorates and thereby avoid hospital admission.”

Unmarried heart failure patients appear less confident in managing their condition and more socially limited compared to their married counterparts, according to research presented today at Heart Failure 2022, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 These differences may have contributed to the worse long-term survival observed in unmarried patients. “Social support helps people managing long-term conditions,” said study author Dr. Fabian Kerwagen of the Comprehensive Heart Failure Center at the University Hospital Würzburg, Germany. “Spouses may assist with drug adherence, provide encouragement and help with developing healthier behaviours, all of which could affect longevity. In this study, unmarried patients exhibited fewer social interactions than married patients, and lacked confidence to manage their heart failure. We are exploring, whether these factors could also partially explain the link with survival.”