Ask the Expert: Why Do HFpEF Patients Experience Shortness of Breath? @NEJMgroup

Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

Neha J. Pagidipati, MD, and Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, discuss common symptoms of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and why they occur.

Watch “HFpEF Explained — Living with HFpEF,” part three in a three-part Double Take video miniseries, now available on our YouTube channel.

$Ask the Expert: Why Do HFpEF Patients Experience Shortness of Breath? Neha J. Pagidipati, MD, and Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, discuss common symptoms of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and why they occur. Watch “HFpEF Explained — Living with HFpEF,” part three in a three-part Double Take video miniseries, now available on our YouTube channel.$

$HFpEF Explained — Managing HFpEF in Primary Care | NEJM In this second episode of a three-part Double Take miniseries on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) from the New England Journal of Medicine, Drs. Shah, Khan, Pagidipati, and Lloyd-Jones describe pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions for patients with HFpEF. They discuss how selected drug therapies can also address common coexisting conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes. The importance of monitoring and of implementing individualized lifestyle modifications is highlighted in the video. For further reading, the following articles, referenced in this video, are available at NEJM.org: Empagliflozin in Heart Failure with a Preserved Ejection Fraction (Anker et al., in the October 14, 2021, issue, https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2107038 ); Finerenone in Heart Failure with Mildly Reduced or Preserved Ejection Fraction (Solomon et al., in the October 24, 2024, issue, https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2407107 ); Semaglutide in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction and Obesity (Kosiborod et al., in the September 21, 2023, issue, https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2306963 ); Tirzepatide for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction and Obesity (Packer et al., in the January 30, 2025, issue, https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2410027 ); and Dapagliflozin in Heart Failure with Mildly Reduced or Preserved Ejection Fraction (Solomon et al., in the September 22, 2022, issue, https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2206286 ). Funding for this Double Take is provided by the Doris Duke Foundation, committed to building a creative, equitable, and sustainable future. #medicaleducation #clinicalmedicine #nejm The New England Journal of Medicine is the world’s leading general medical journal. Continuously published for over 200 years, the Journal publishes peer-reviewed research along with interactive clinical content for physicians, educators, and the global medical community at NEJM.org.$

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Ask the Expert: Why Do HFpEF Patients Experience Shortness of Breath?