Heart failure hospitalisations surge as woman, 35, tells of shock at life-threatening diagnosis

Heart failure hospitalisations surge as woman, 35, tells of shock at life-threatening diagnosis Mum-of-two Szandra Tar says her ‘belly was huge’ and she ‘woke up in the night gasping for air’ before devastating heart failure diagnosis Hospitalisations for heart failure have increased by over 50% as experts warn it poses a major threat to the NHS. The British Heart Foundation says the “deeply troubling” increase is unsustainable and insists most hospital visits for the condition are preventable. Hospitalisations for patients whose heart is not pumping blood properly surged by 52% from 173,744 in 2014/15 to 264,417 in 2024/25. It comes as heart failure diagnoses are expected to double by 2040. Hospitalisations are often due to severe breathlessness, chest pain or significant fluid retention. A 35-year-old woman told how her “belly was huge” and she “woke up in the night gasping for air” after her heart failure caused by a genetic fault was misdiagnosed. Professor Bryan Williams OBE, Chief Medical Officer at the BHF, said: “Most hospital visits for heart failure could be prevented but too often, someone is only diagnosed with heart failure when they are already seriously unwell. This analysis highlights a growing and deeply troubling pressure on an NHS already under immense strain.” Over one million Brits have heart failure which is where the organ cannot pump blood efficiently enough to meet the body's needs for blood and oxygen. Research suggests up to 80% of heart failure diagnoses in England are made in hospital, despite 40% of patients having symptoms that should have triggered an earlier diagnosis. Szandra’s story A mum-of-two has told how the first signs that she had heart failure were muscle aches in her right shoulder. Szandra Tar, aged 35, from Grangemouth, in Falkirk, never suspected that she might have heart failure as she was fit and regularly played volleyball. The aches started at the end of 2024 and by early 2025 she could no longer walk or run a short distance without getting out of breath. When she phoned her GP last June she was told it was either due to over-exercising or anxiety and was prescribed medicines that can make heart failure worse. Szandra said: "My relationship had just ended so I thought that may be the cause.” However by July 2025 she couldn't climb a flight of stairs without having to stop to take a breath and her face started to swell. Szandra, who works for Police Scotland as a civilian in the evidence department, explained: "I looked like I'd been stung by a bee. My belly was huge. I couldn't get on the trousers I'd been wearing a week before. I couldn't sleep and I woke up in the night gasping for air." She phoned her GP again but was told the swelling was due to the heat or antibiotics she had been taking. It was only on listening to her chest that the doctor noticed she had an abnormally fast heart rate at rest and sent her to hospital. Szandra was admitted and spent the next 11 days on the cardiology unit at Forth Valley Royal Hospital where she was diagnosed with heart failure. She said: "I was shocked when they said I had heart failure and that my heart muscle was severely weakened and damaged. I asked if I was going to die and they told me they'd try their best to make sure that doesn't happen. You can imagine how that felt with two young children at home." She has been fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and put on medication that she'll need to take for the rest of her life. Genetic testing revealed she has a genetic variant which can cause dilated cardiomyopathy. This is a disease of the heart muscle where the chambers become enlarged and the heart muscle comes thinner and weaker. Her children are now being tested to see if they have the same variant. Szandra said: "It scares me that if I hadn't phoned the GP that day last summer, I may have fallen asleep that night and never woken up again because my heart was really struggling to pump blood which is why I was retaining so much fluid. "I want to be an advocate for young people with heart failure, especially women, because there are unfortunately a lot of us out there and our symptoms can get overlooked. It took such a long time for me to get diagnosed despite me having serious symptoms for over six months. It doesn't have to be like this." The increase in heart failure hospitalisations is over twice as fast as overall hospital visits which have risen by 20% in the same period. It reflects Britain’s ageing and growing population in which more people survive heart attacks. The BHF says the UK needs better ways of diagnosing and treating heart failure at an earlier stage as well as better management in the community to keep people out of hospital, reduce pressure on the NHS. Professor Williams OBE said: “More people are arriving in hospital with heart failure seriously unwell, often needing lengthy stays, while the pressure on staff, beds and vital cardiac services will only intensify in the years ahead unless more people receive the treatment and care they need earlier.” What is heart failure? Heart failure does not mean the heart has completely stopped working but that it is struggling to keep up with its workload. When the heart's pumping action slows or weakens, blood can back up and fluid builds up in the lungs, legs, or other parts of the body. Heart failure can be caused by high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, coronary artery disease and previous heart attacks. Common symptoms include fatigue, swelling of the lower legs, persistent cough and shortness of breath - especially during physical activity or when lying flat. Prof Williams added: "Breathlessness, chest pain and swelling caused by fluid retention can all be warning signs of heart failure. If symptoms are new, persistent or getting worse, please seek urgent medical advice." The analysis comes from BHF’s new CVD Observatory which is collating data on heart health across the UK as well as highlighting areas worst affected. Labour has launched a 10 year plan to slash premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25%. Its first three years is focusing on better managing patients out of hospital with conditions like high blood pressure and cholesterol and diabetes. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "Through our Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework, we are working to identify and treat people earlier, improve access to effective treatment and provide better ongoing care for people with heart failure. This will help people live healthier lives for longer and deliver our ambition to cut early deaths from heart disease and stroke by a quarter over the next decade.”