New heart failure warning sign you would notice when in the garden

Medical experts have highlighted a surprising indicator that could signal serious heart issues: the loss of smell. Alarmingly, this symptom often goes unnoticed, but if you find yourself unable to catch the scent of blooming roses, it might be time to pay attention to your heart health.

In the UK, over a million individuals deal with heart failure, which can stem from various conditions including heart disease, hypertension, or even exposure to toxins. Identifying those at risk isn’t always straightforward.

However, according to Medical News Today, researchers at Michigan University have discovered that a diminishing sense of smell could serve as an early warning sign.

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As we age, our risk for severe heart failure rises, particularly after turning 60, when many also begin to notice a decline in their sensory perception. Keran Chamberlin, one of the study’s authors, suggests this sensory dulling may be connected to “subclinical cardiovascular changes”.

Dr Honlei Chen, another author of the study, points out: “Smell loss or impairment affects about a quarter of older adults. The public awareness is low though, only about 30 per cent of those with smell loss know they have it”, reports Gloucestershire Live.

“We learned in the past two decades that smell loss is one of the most important early markers of dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Interestingly, emerging data, including ours, suggests that smell loss may have more profound implications on the health of older adults, including risk of death, pneumonia, functional decline, and frailty.”

The team looked into a cohort of 2,500 individuals whose physical well-being, including their olfactory abilities, was monitored for over ten years. They discovered that those who experienced a decline in their sense of smell had a 30 per cent increased likelihood of heart failure compared to those with unimpaired olfaction.

Dr Chen remarked: “Given what we have discussed about the possible connections between smell loss and cardiovascular health, we are not totally surprised by our finding.”

Co-author Chamberlin noted: “As heart failure is an advanced multi-faceted syndrome, its progression may be exacerbated by the elevated vulnerability. Therefore, smell loss may be related to cardiovascular health as a marker, contributor, or both.”

However, while the study did show a correlation between heart failure and diminished sense of smell, it did not establish a connection with two major heart failure causes – stroke and coronary heart disease.

Chamberlin expressed surprise: “We are a bit surprised by the fact that we only identified this association for heart failure, but not for coronary heart disease or stroke.”

“Admittedly, we do not have a good explanation for this. However, compared to coronary heart disease or stroke, congestive heart failure is a more complex and advanced syndrome with structural or functional cardiac abnormality,” she explained to Medical News Today.

“Besides atherosclerosis, other myocardial stressors can also trigger heart failure hospitalisation. Smell loss may signify higher vulnerability to myocardial stressors beyond atherosclerosis. Nevertheless, our findings are preliminary, waiting for confirmation.”

When it comes to heart failure symptoms, it’s a condition where the heart struggles to pump blood around the body effectively, often due to the muscle becoming too weak or stiff. While it can’t be cured, treatments are available to manage and control it.