One-third of heart failure patients ‘still out of work after a year’

A new study of nearly 12,000 people has shed light on the difficulties people with heart failure face in returning to work.

The Copenhagen University Hospital research analysed data from 11,880 heart failure patients of working age who were employed prior to being hospitalised with the condition.

One year after being admitted for heart failure for the first time, it was shown that 68 percent of patients had returned to work, while 25 percent had not and seven percent had died.

Men, younger patients and those with higher education levels were shown to be more likely to return to work. The findings underlined the fact that heart failure can have a significant impact on a patient's capacity to live independently.

Dr Rasmus Roerth, a physician at Copenhagen University Hospital, said: "Removal from the labour market and dependence on public benefits has great economic consequences, which go beyond the already significant financial burden that these patients place on the healthcare system."

He advised that patients could benefit from more intensive rehabilitation, psychological support or education to help them return to work.