Current opinion in supportive and palliative care
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Thirst is a common and burdensome symptom of heart failure, which impacts adversely on quality of life. To date, there is limited research on the prevalence of thirst, the factors associated with thirst and interventions to help manage thirst in heart failure. This review summarizes key empirical research developments of thirst. ⋯ Despite the burden of thirst in heart failure patients, strategies to relieve thirst remains insufficiently addressed in literature. Further research to improve the understanding of the severity of thirst and its relationship to possible factors associated with thirst is required in order to develop future interventions to either prevent or alleviate troublesome thirst in patients with heart failure.