From Infections to Heart Failure: The Unexpected Link
Mar 12, 2025•11 min
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Episode description
Story at-a-glance
- Heart failure affects 6.7 million Americans over the age of 20, and this number is expected to reach 8.5 million by 2030. Globally, it impacts over 37 million people as a life-threatening condition
- People who are hospitalized for severe infections like pneumonia or sepsis are more than twice as likely to develop heart failure
- Infections trigger an aggressive immune response that have a chance to become dysregulated, causing persistent inflammation and damage to the heart muscle's ability to pump efficiently
- The risk of heart failure persists long-term, with most cases appearing about seven years after the initial infection-related hospitalization
- Vitamin D produces antimicrobial peptides that protect against bacteria, fungi and viruses that cause severe infections, so make sure to optimize your levels through safe sun exposure
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