Overview
The name “heart failure” sounds like your heart has stopped working, but it isn’t. Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, is a long-term condition that gets worse over time. Simply put, heart failure occurs when the heart muscle cannot pump blood as well as it should. When this happens, your heart’s pumping power is reduced, and fluid can build up in your lungs, causing damage to your organs. Also, it can cause shortness of breath.
High blood pressure or narrowed heart arteries gradually make the heart so stiff or weak that it cannot pump blood properly. This condition is known as heart failure.
Unknowing Truth About Heart failure
Heart health can be improved by identifying the symptoms of heart failure and taking appropriate treatment. Depending on your condition, the doctor may ask you to make lifestyle changes. For example, exercising, losing weight, managing stress, reducing the amount of salt in the diet, etc. Heart failure can put your life in danger. It is easy to recognize the symptoms of heart failure, which we will discuss further. In some cases, heart failure is so severe that people may need a heart transplant or a ventricular assist device (VAD). The progression of this condition can be prevented by improving the quality of life.
How common is heart failure?
The problem of heart failure is becoming common. This can be gauged from the fact that more than one million people are diagnosed with heart failure yearly. Furthermore, heart failure is very common in people over 50 and requires hospitalization.
What Are The Symptoms Of Heart Failure?
Symptoms of heart failure include-
- Difficulty in breathing
- Weakness and Fatigue
- Dry cough
- Swelling in legs, ankles, and feet
- Swelling in abdomen
- Fast or irregular heartbeat
- Rapid weight gain
- Decreased alertness or concentration problem
Symptoms of heart failure can range from mild to serious. Sometimes it may happen that you do not have any symptoms, but it does not mean you do not have heart failure. Heart failure worsens over time, and you may notice different signs as the condition progresses. You must consult your doctor immediately if you have any such symptoms.
What causes Congestive Heart Failure?
- Diabetes
- Heart attack
- High blood Pressure (Hypertension)
- Obesity
- kidney disease
- Arrhythmia
- Chemotherapy
- Alcohol & tobacco consumption
- Coronary Artery disease etc.
- Valvular heart disease
- Cardiomyopathy
- Anemia
- Thyroid disease
How is heart failure treated?
There are many ways to diagnose heart failure, which mainly include the following-
- Clinical diagnosis
- ECG, ECHO
- Chest x-ray
- Blood test- NtproBNP
- Cardiac MRI if necessary
- Cardiac Catheterisation
- The treatment of heart failure largely depends on the type of heart failure. If you have mild heart failure, it can be treated with medicines. In addition, the doctor may ask you to change your lifestyle.
- There are mainly four stages of heart failure treatment. We will not go into detail about all the stages; for more information, you can contact us.
- Keep in mind that heart failure disrupts your entire cardiac cycle. Your heart muscle pumps less blood to your organs, which starts the damage to your organs. To prevent this condition from progressing to the next stage, you must get treated by an experienced doctor. Sometimes, the heart failure condition becomes so severe that it needs surgery.
Final Thought
If you have heart failure or are facing any heart-related disorders, then do not ignore them. Treatment at the right time can reduce the risk to your life. You can contact us for better treatment and advice.