Heart failure affects 90,000 people and costs this country around €660 million every year, new research has revealed.

Heart failure is a potentially life-threatening condition which leads to the heart being unable to pump enough blood around the body. Symptoms include tiredness, shortness of breath, dizziness and swollen ankles.

Some 90,000 people are currently affected, however a further 160,000 Irish people are thought to have impending heart failure.

This is the first research to assess the cost of heart failure to Irish society. It revealed that the total cost of the condition is €660 million per year, €158 million of which is made up of direct costs. This includes hospitalisation, GP visits and nursing home care.

Almost 50% of direct costs relate to patients being hospitalised and in 2012, 7% of all hospital inpatient beds were taken up by patients with heart failure. The average length of stay in hospital for a heart failure patient is 11 days.

The total annual bed days taken up by heart failure patients is over 231,000.

Meanwhile, the remaining €502 million is made up of informal care costs and costs associated with premature deaths.

The research also found major regional disparities when it came to patient services and outcomes. It noted that when it came to things like follow-up services for heart failure patients, a ‘post code lottery' was evident.

It found that treatment decisions are resource driven and as a result of an ageing population and increased pressure on services, regional disparities are expected to intensify.

"Never before has the national cost of heart failure in primary or community care been assessed. This important piece of research shows the extent of the burden of heart failure throughout primary and secondary healthcare settings in Ireland," commented Prof Kenneth McDonald, a consultant cardiologist and clinical lead for the HSE Heart Failure Clinical Care Programme.

He said that this research should be used ‘to help identify problem areas in heart failure prevention and treatment within the community, as well as areas where spending can be increased to better serve the patient and healthcare professionals'.

"The healthcare system needs to develop and implement strategies to cope with the associated cost of increased incidence, and do what it can now to prevent and manage heart failure incidence in the future," he insisted.

Also speaking about the findings, Dr Angie Brown, a consultant cardiologist and medical director of the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) said that this is a ‘huge health concern', yet only 7% of people can identify the common signs of heart failure, with many people mistaking the signs for ageing.

"Huge success has been achieved with the focus on fast diagnosis and action in stroke, and the same positive outcomes can be achieved for patients with heart failure.

"One of the recommendations of this report is to ensure patients with potential symptoms of heart failure are diagnosed without delay, no matter where they live in the country. The report highlights the need for equitable and rapid access to community and, if appropriate, hospital diagnostic services," Dr Brown said.

She added that ultimately, the goal is to ensure optimum care for heart failure patients and to allow them to be cared for ‘in their own communities where possible, away from the acute hospital setting'.

The research was carried out by the IHF, the Heartbeat Trust and NUI Galway.