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Rebecca Voelker

JAMA. 2005;294:892.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

As the incidence of heart failure in the United States continues to rise, the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association have developed new management guidelines that emphasize early diagnosis by classifying the condition in stages, from the presence of risk factors to end-stage disease.

The guidelines denote four stages of heart failure:

• Stages A and B include patients who have no signs or symptoms of heart failure but for whom risk factors or abnormalities such as changes in the structure or shape of the heart could increase their likelihood of developing the condition.
  
• Stage C describes patients who have past or current symptoms such as shortness of breath.
  
• Stage D comprises patients who have refractory heart failure and may be candidates for specialized, advanced treatment including cardiac transplantation or compassionate end-of-life care such as hospice.