A new study shows heart failure patients may actually suffer damage outside the heart...in the brain. Researchers found heart failure patients suffer significant tissue damage in an area of the brain associated with blood pressure control. This helps explain why these patients cannot stand up quickly and constantly feel fatigued. This area of the brain is also associated with depression which may explain why 40 to 50% of heart failure patients are depressed. Researchers say doctors need to take brain damage into consideration when treating these patients, and provide treatment options that will protect patients from depression and heart failure conditions.
