JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Researchers aiming to tackle heart failure are looking for people affected by the disease to participate in a clinical study.
According to the National Library of Medicine, heart failure affects more than six million Americans, and that number is steadily increasing.
“It’s a huge problem,“ Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research (JCCR) Dr. Michael Koren said. ”How to prevent re-hospitalizations for heart failure because people who get diagnosed with heart failure are living longer than they used to because we have better medicines, but it’s a chronic condition.”
The JCCR studies the link between chronic inflammation and heart failure.
Heart failure can be put into two categories: one is when the heart fails to pump oxygen-rich blood and the other is when the walls of the heart become too thick and stiff, which reduces the total volume of blood available to be pumped.
“Inflammation is like a fire, and we think that if we put out this fire, people should do better,“ Koren said. “The first step is to check to see if you have the problem and we can do it here at the research office using a test called HSCRP. “
The HSCRP test identifies certain markers that help doctors detect inflammation and the level of inflammation caused by infection, injury or chronic disease.
Kohen encouraged people to participate in the study.
“If you’re an appropriate person with congestive heart failure, you may qualify for some of the research we’re doing where we actually give you a treatment to block inflammation,” he said.
And for those who may be hesitant to participate, Koren shared this message:
“Do you want to live longer? Do you want your family members to live longer? Again, we’re not promising everyone we evaluate will have a specific benefit. But, unless you look, you don’t know,” he said.