Heart problems aren’t only for the old.
Nearly 6.7 million Americans over the age of 20 are living with heart failure — yet many don’t know they have it thanks to the silent symptoms that accompany this chronic condition.
32-year-old Alex Balmes experienced that firsthand after ignoring several symptoms that ultimately led to organ failure.
Many of the signs of heart failure are easy to pass off as an illness or just a regular part of aging — something the Orlando, Florida resident and father initially thought, too.
He began experiencing many of the underlying symptoms, like feeling jittery and having an irregular heartbeat, but dismissed them as anxiety and didn’t feel the need to visit the hospital.
It wasn’t until he experienced these four other common symptoms, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, weight gain and bloating, that he finally had surgery to help his heart.
He received a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implant, a surgical procedure in which a battery-powered pump is placed in the patient’s chest to help pump blood through the body.
Although the name implies the heart has stopped beating, this is not the case, as it simply means the heart can’t pump enough blood to support other organs in the body.
However, the solution is only temporary until Balmes can receive a transplant.
While Balmes lived to tell the tale, hundreds of thousands of lives are claimed by the condition each year, as once the signs appear, the damage’s already been done.
“Once the patient is hospitalized for heart failure, the risk of death and rehospitalization goes up dramatically,” Dr. John Jefferies, a board-certified cardiologist and chief medical officer for Daxor, previously told The Post.
Jeffries also added that other concerning symptoms can include shortness of breath “with exertion or when lying flat… or sudden onset of breathlessness at night.”
He also mentioned bendopnea, in which a patient becomes short of breath when bending over.
The range of symptoms not only overlaps with other conditions but can also vary by age and gender, adding further confusion.
Several factors can contribute to the risk of heart failure, including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease and regular alcohol consumption.
Family history can also play a role, as having one parent with heart failure can increase the risk by 70% compared to someone without a genetic history.
Surgery can help the heart repair itself partially, but complete reversal of the damage is challenging, according to Jeffries.
“Much of what we are trying to accomplish is preservation of existing heart muscle function by stabilizing the condition through medical therapy and other interventions, along with lifestyle modifications,” he explained.
While he waits for his transplant, Balmes is back to playing with his daughter, but realizes his condition has changed some things about his life.
“I’ve just got to slow it down a little bit,” he told Orlando Health. “I try to say, at least for me so young, I just got older faster.”
