It occurs when your heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the needs of your body's tissues and organs, causing congestive heart failure (CHF), a chronic condition that affects your heart's pumping ability. Therefore, blood and fluid accumulate in the lungs, legs, and abdomen. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling, and weight gain as a result.
It is not a disease by itself, but rather a complication of other underlying heart problems. These problems can damage or weaken your heart over time, making it less efficient at pumping blood. Some of the common causes of CHF are listed below:
The most common cause of CHF is coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD occurs when fatty deposits called plaque narrow or block the arteries that supply blood to your heart. By doing this, blood flow to your heart muscle is reduced, resulting in chest pain (angina), heart attacks, and heart failure.
It is a condition that affects the structure and function of your heart muscle. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including infections, alcoholism, drug abuse, genetic disorders, or unknown causes. In cardiomyopathy, the heart is enlarged, thickened, stiffened, or weakened, which can impair its pumping.
Any birth defect that affects the structure or function of your heart is referred to as congenital heart disease. These defects can affect the blood flow and pressure in your heart, leading to CHF over time. They include holes in your heart, abnormal valves, and abnormal connections between the chambers and vessels of your heart.
You can develop diabetes if your body is unable to utilize glucose (sugar) for energy. You can also develop CAD and high blood pressure, both risk factors for CHF, if you have diabetes. High blood glucose levels can cause damage to your heart as well as other organs in your body.
As a result of too much blood pushing against your arteries, high blood pressure (hypertension) occurs. As a result of high blood pressure, your arteries can become stiff and narrow, reducing blood flow to your heart and other organs. As well as making your heart work harder to pump blood, high blood pressure can weaken it over time.
It is any abnormal rhythm or rate of your heartbeat that is referred to as arrhythmia. It is possible for your heart to beat too fast, too slowly, or irregularly if you suffer from arrhythmias. Arrhythmias can also lead to blood clots forming in your heart chambers, which can cause strokes or cardiac failure.
Essentially, kidney disease affects the kidneys, which filter out waste and excess fluid from your bloodstream. Fluid retention and electrolyte imbalances can affect your blood pressure and volume as a result of kidney disease. Your heart function can also be affected and CHF can occur as a result of kidney disease.
You can develop diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and other conditions that can lead to CHF if you have excess body fat. Obesity can also impair the function of your heart and lungs as well as put extra strain on them.
Some of the common symptoms of CHF vary depending on the type and severity of your condition. They may also change over time as your condition progresses.
Shortness of breath
Fatigue
Swelling
Cough
Chest pain
Palpitations
Dizziness
Confusion
In order to diagnose CHF, your doctor will discuss your medical history, symptoms, and risk factors with you. Additionally, your doctor may order some tests to confirm the diagnosis and determine the cause and severity of your condition. Your doctor will also conduct a physical exam and listen to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope. CHF tests include:
Blood tests
Kidney and thyroid function tests
Cholesterol tests
Blood cell count
B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) test
Chest X-ray
Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
Echocardiogram
Stress test
Cardiac catheterization
CHF treatment depends on its cause and severity. In addition to relieving your symptoms, improving your quality of life, preventing further damage to your heart, and reducing the risk of complications including stroke and sudden cardiac death, there are a number of treatment options for CHF.
CHF medications improve the function and efficiency of your heart and reduce the workload on it. Some common medications include:
These drugs relax and widen your blood vessels, lowering your blood pressure and improving blood flow to your heart. Benazepril, captopril, and enalapril are examples.
Acebutolol, atenolol, and bisoprolol are beta blockers that reduce blood pressure and reduce heart stress.
A diuretic is a drug that removes excess fluid and salt from your body, which reduces fluid buildup in your lungs.
You can use these devices to improve the function or rhythm of your heart.
Changes in lifestyle can improve your health and reduce the risk of complications caused by CHF.
If you want to prevent CHF, you should prevent or treat the conditions that can cause it, such as CAD, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, etc. Following the lifestyle changes mentioned above, as well as taking medications prescribed by your doctor, will help you to do so. You should also have regular check-ups with your doctor to monitor your heart function and detect any signs of CHF early. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve your prognosis and slow down the progression of CHF.
Heart failure is a serious condition in which your heart's pumping ability is impaired. In addition to shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling, chest pain, and others, it can cause complications such as stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and death. A number of factors can cause CHF, including CAD, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, arrhythmia, kidney disease, obesity, and others. You can be diagnosed with CHF by your doctor after reviewing your medical history, getting a physical examination, and having various tests, including blood tests, chest X-rays, electrocardiograms, stress tests, cardiac catheterization, and more. Medications, devices, lifestyle changes, and surgery can all be used to treat CHF. By preventing or treating the conditions that can cause CHF, as well as following a healthy lifestyle and seeing your doctor regularly, you can prevent or treat it.
