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What is Heart Failure?
Heart Failure is a condition in which the heart muscle weakens and it does not pump as strongly as it should. Many times the heart's lower chambers (the ventricles) also do not contract or pump and the same time (called dyssynchrony). For these reasons, blood does not circulate as well as it should.
Despite its misleading name, "heart failure" does not mean that your heart suddenly stops working. Instead, heart failure develops slowly as your heart muscle gradually weakens. The term "failure" refers to your heart's inability to pump enough blood to meet your body's needs.
Heart Failure is a very common disease and affects nearly 5 million Americans, and an estimated 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
As the heart muscle weakens other problems can result:
- The heart's electrical system can become disrupted. This can lead to sudden cardiac death (SCD). In fact, SCD is 6-9 times more common in people with heart failure than in the general population.
- The heart can become enlarged. Your heart tries to work harder since it is not able to pump enough blood. Over time, the heart can grown larger, even though it is weak.
- Not enough blood flows to your body's tissues. Consequently, your heart beats faster to try to get more oxygen to your tissues. And the faster heart rate makes your weakened heart work even harder.
- Not enough blood flows to the kidneys. If your kidneys do not receive enough blood, you may have water retention, swelling in the legs and feet, and high blood pressure. All of these problems can also cause the heart to work hearder.
What is the cause?
The causes of heart failure vary from one person to another. One person can be born with a disease that causes heart failure. Another person can catch a disease or have a tremendous strain on the heart that causes it to fail. The causes have one thing in common-they should somehow damage the heart muscle so that it no longer pumps as well as it should. Nearly any form of heart or blood vessel disease can lead to heart failure.
Here are some contributing factors:
- Coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart attack. CAD puts you at a higher risk for heart attack. And if you have had a heart attack, you are 5 times more likely to develop heart failure.
- Diabetes
- Aging
- An enlarged heart, which can have a number of causes, including alcohol or drug abuse, high blood pressure (which makes you twice as likely to develop heart failure), heart valve disease, a viral infection, a congenital heart problem (present from birth)
What are the warning signs and symptoms of Heart Failure?
Symptoms of heart failure get worse over time. The most common symptoms include:
- Shortness of breath-this may get worse over time.
- Fatigue-this happens because your muscles aren't getting enough oxygen from your blood.
- Palpitations-this is a feeling that your heart is racing or that your heartbeat is irregular.
- Chronic cough-this is due to the fluid buildup in the lungs.
- Fluid retention-especially in the legs and feet.
Other symptoms can include heart palpitations (feeling that your heart is racing or that your heartbeat is irregular). Some people also have nausea and lack of appetite, dizziness, fainting spells, or difficulty concentrating.
Doctors use two standard systems when describing heart failure. Each system describes heart failure in a slightly different way.
Some doctors use stages to describe whether someone is at risk of - or has - heart failure.
- Stage A-is at risk for heart failure, but does not have structural heart disease
- Stage B-has structural heart disease but does not yet have heart failure symptoms
- Stage C-has heart failure symptoms
- Stage D-has "end stage" heart failure, when most treatments are no longer effective.
More often, doctors describe a person's heart failure according to class.
- Class I- has heart failure but does not yet have heart failure symptoms
- Class II-has symptoms with mid-level exercise
- Class III-has symptoms with low-level exercise
- Class IV-has symptoms even when at rest.
How is Heart Failure detected?
Heart failure can be diagnosed in a variety of different ways. Your doctor will decide which tests are appropriate for you.
What are the treatment options for Heart Failure?
People suffering from Heart Failure can almost always be helped by changes in lifestyle. For instance, it is important that people with heart failure eat low-fat foods-and especially low-salt (low-sodium) foods. Your doctor may also recommend cardiac rehabilitation as part of your treatment, which will show you the best exercises for you, suggest new eating habits, order medications to reduce your symptoms, and help you regain or learn new lifestlye and coping skills(for example, focusing on activities that do not wear you out)
Also, check with your doctor about pain relievers you may need for aches and pains. Heart failure patients should avoid one type of pain reliever--nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications This includes medications such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve), among others. Ask your doctor or nurse which pain relievers you can take.
Other types of treatment may depend on your test results. Your doctor may ask you to report the following on a regular (sometimes daily) basis:
- Worsening symptoms
- Your blood pressure readings
- Your weight
If you report changes in those areas, sometimes your doctor can act quickly to change your treatment.
Pacemaker Therapy
Some types of Heart Failure can be improved by pacemakers which enhance the timing and vigor of the way the heart beats. Some can correct lethal arrhythmias which are more common in Heart Failure. These and other devices are being used more commonly in the treatment of Heart Failure.
There is no cure for heart failure, but medications and procedures can help relieve your symptoms.
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