Ker, James A.Outhoff, Kim2020-08-292020-08-292019-07Kerr, J.A. & Outhoff, K. 2019, 'Burning issues in the prevention of heart failure', South African Family Practice, vol. 61, no. 4, pp. 11-12.2078-6190 (print)2078-6204 (online)10.4102/safp.v61i4.4956http://hdl.handle.net/2263/75971Chronic heart failure is common, debilitating, and often the culmination of pervasive cardiovascular insults that systematically undermine the heart’s circulatory capacity and invoke counterproductive neuro-hormonal compensatory changes. Prevention of chronic heart failure therefore requires minimising the impact of traditional cardiovascular risk factors with incisive treatment of hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and prompt lifestyle interventions for smoking, lack of exercise, obesity and hypercholesterolemia. This review is narrative, with selected emphasis on major studies, rather than structured on a specific clinical question, and should be read as such.en© 2019 The Author(s). Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0].Chronic heart failurePreventionCardio-protectionHypertensionType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)Article