Author/Editor		Tušek-Bunc, Ksenija
Title		Bolesnik sa srčanom insuficijencijom
Type		članek
Vol. and No.		Letnik G. 8, št. br. 2
Publication year		2017
Volume		str. 198-207
Language		srp
Abstract		Heart failure (HF) represents a major public health problem. Unlike other cardiovascular diseases, its incidence is increasing. Population aging and the effectiveness of treatment concerning etiological factors of cardiovascular diseases, in particular ischemic heart disease, contribute to the abovementioned situation. Patients with HF seek help from their family physicians first and are frequent visitors to family medicine offices. Their condition is usually serious with a poor prognosis, poor quality of life, frequent hospitalizations, and with an average five-year survival rate after the diagnosis. Management of patients with HF is a challenge for every family physician. A careful medical history is of utmost importance as the symptoms give a warning to the family physician about the likelihood of HF. Nevertheless, the symptoms are also relatively common in the general population and are sometimes difficult to explain, especially where the elderly, the obese, as well as women are concerned. The predictive value is low, so there is a need for cautious interpretation and detailed diagnostics using the procedures available to a family physician in everyday practice. A cardiologist should examine patients with HF by means of additional tests to confirm the final diagnosis. A family physician plays an important role in providing contemporary therapy, advocating for and stimulating the patient to take non-pharmacological measures, as well as in answering to the questions concerning not only the disease itself, but also the quality of life. At the end of life, a family physician remains the only one available to patients and their families for palliative care at the terminal stage of HF.
Descriptors		Srčno popuščanje
Keywords		family physician heart failure