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Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart muscle weakens and loses its ability to meet the circulatory needs of the body. In other words, it cannot pump effectively. Nearly 5 million Americans are living with heart failure and approximately 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is the leading cause of hospitalization for people over age 65.
What is Congestive Heart Failure?
Heart Failure is a broad term that refers to a condition that results when the heart muscle is not pumping effectively. When a patient is in heart failure the heart muscle is not able to keep up with the amount of blood entering the heart’s pumping chambers. Congestive heart failure refers to the retention of fluid that results when the heart is not pumping effectively. Blood continues to return to the heart through the venous system regardless of the heart’s impaired function. Because the heart cannot pump the blood as efficiently, blood will begin to back up into the lung vessels (pulmonary edema) and into the rest of the tissues in the body (edema). The cells’ need for oxygen and nutrients are not being met because the heart cannot deliver an adequate blood flow to these cells.
What Causes Heart Failure?
Heart failure can result for a variety of reasons. In some cases heart failure results from heart attacks, because a heart attack weakens the heart muscle. It can be caused by a deconditioned heart, related to obesity, lack of exercise and high blood pressure. In other instances the failure results from damage to the heart muscle tissue from infection or inflammation. Heart valve disease also contributes to heart failure because when the heart valves are not functioning properly blood can pool in the heart chambers and back up into the lungs. People born with congenital heart problems may be more prone to heart failure. Alcoholism and drug abuse can lead to heart failure as well.
Heart Failure Signs and Symptoms
Once this starts to occur the patient may start to experience a variety of unpleasant symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, fatigue, persistent cough or wheezing, decreased appetite, nausea, and an increased heart rate. The coughing and shortness of breath can be attributed to the fluid building up in the pulmonary vessels. Some of the fluid in the vessels can leak into the lungs and cause difficulty breathing and a persistent cough. The nausea and decreased appetite result when the digestive system receives less than optimal blood flow. In order to try to circulate more blood, the heart begins to pump faster and the patient may feel like the heart is racing or throbbing.
Treatment of Heart Failure
Go to Heart Failure Clinics
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