Heart failure
The heart’s inability to pump blood efficiently throughout the body is known as heart failure. Usually, it occurs due to the heart being overly rigid or frail.
Sometimes it is referred to as congestive heart failure.
It signifies that it requires assistance to function more effectively.
Any age can experience it, but older folks are more likely to do so.
Heart failure is a chronic illness that usually gets progressively worse with time. Typically, there is no cure, but you can frequently manage the symptoms for years.
Signs indicating a heart failure
Primary signs and symptoms are:
- Breathlessness during or after exercise
- Being generally exhausted and finding an activity to be exhausting
- Experiencing dizziness or fainting
- Ankle and leg swelling
- A lingering cough
- A rapid heartbeat
- Lightheadedness
Reasons concerning a heart failure
Several conditions, including:
- Coronary heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Circumstances that affect the cardiac muscle
- Difficulties with the heart’s rhythm (arrhythmias)
- Damage to or issues with the heart valves
- Congenital heart disease
- Obesity
- Anemia
- Consuming too much alcohol
- An overactive thyroid
- High pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension)
Treatments to cure
Heart failure treatment often seeks to manage the signs and symptoms for as long as feasible while halting the condition’s progression. The treatments depend on what is causing your heart failure.
Commonly used therapies include:
- Lifestyle adjustments, such as adopting a balanced diet, engaging in frequent exercise, and giving up smoking
- Various medications can be helpful; many must take two or three different kinds
- Implanted devices in your chest may be able to regulate the rhythm of your heart
- Surgery, such as a heart transplant or a bypass procedure
A treatment might be feasible when heart failure has a curable underlying cause.
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 16 JULY 2022