It`s up to you to take steps to improve your heart health. Take your medication as directed, eat a low-sodium diet, stay active or become physically active, be aware of sudden changes in your weight, adopt a healthy lifestyle, keep your follow-up appointments, and track your symptoms. Talk to your healthcare team about any questions or concerns you have about your medications, lifestyle changes or any other part of your treatment plan. Heart failure can affect the left, right or both sides of the heart. However, it usually affects the left side first. In some people with heart failure, instead of a failed pumping of blood from the ventricle, there is a failed release of the ventricle. You will have tests to see how serious your heart failure is and what caused it. Common tests include: Heart failure can be caused by several conditions, including: Heart failure symptoms can be made worse by a number of factors, including: More than 6 million adults in the United States suffer from heart failure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children can also suffer from heart failure, but this health problem focuses on heart failure in adults.
In some cases, your doctor may refer you to a cardiologist (a doctor who specializes in heart disease) for testing, diagnosis, and care. Managing heart failure is a team effort, and you are the key player in the team. Your cardiologist will prescribe your medications and treat other medical problems. Other team members, including nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, sports specialists and social workers, will help you succeed. But it`s up to YOU to take your medication, make dietary changes, lead a healthy lifestyle, keep your follow-up appointments, and be an active member of the team. Watch an animation of blood flow through the heart. Patients with stage C heart failure have been diagnosed with heart failure and have (currently) or (previously) have signs and symptoms of the disease. One way to prevent heart failure is to prevent and control conditions that can cause it, such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. As part of your treatment, you should pay close attention to your symptoms, as heart failure can suddenly worsen. Your provider may suggest a cardiac rehabilitation program to help you learn how to manage your condition. The term “heart failure” can be scary.
This does not mean that the heart has “failed” or stopped working. This means that the heart is not pumping as well as it should. A heart attack occurs suddenly when a coronary artery is completely blocked. Damage to your heart muscle caused by a heart attack can prevent your heart from pumping as well as it should. Water retention occurs because the blood flow in your heart is too slow. As a result, blood accumulates in the vessels that return blood to your heart. Fluid can leak out of blood vessels and build up in your body`s tissues, causing swelling (edema) and other problems. When the heart weakens, as is possible with heart failure, it begins to grow, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood to the rest of the body. Overall, the new universal definition and classification of RF is simple but conceptually complete, has adequate sensitivity and specificity, is almost universally applicable, and offers high prognostic and therapeutic validity and utility. It is also an important opportunity to recognize that the language used by health professionals can have a profound impact on how people living with HF and those who care for them approach their illness. The table below outlines a basic care plan that may or may not apply to you, depending on the cause of your heart failure and your special needs. Ask your doctor to explain the therapies listed if you don`t understand why you are receiving them or not.
See your doctor if you think you have signs or symptoms of heart failure. Call 911 or emergency medical help if you have: Heart failure can be confirmed by a variety of tests, including: Heart failure can affect one or both sides of your heart: Your body depends on the pumping action of the heart to deliver oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to the body`s cells. When the cells are properly nourished, the body can function normally. In heart failure, the weakened heart cannot supply enough blood to the cells. This leads to fatigue and shortness of breath and some people cough. Daily activities such as walking, climbing stairs or carrying food can become very difficult. Complications of heart failure depend on the severity of the heart disease, your general health, and other factors such as your age. Possible complications may include: Your treatment depends on the type of heart failure you have and, in part, what caused it. Medications and lifestyle behaviours are part of every patient`s treatment plan. Your healthcare team will talk to you about the best treatment plan for you. Find out more about treating heart failure.
The heart has four chambers, two right and two left: Diastolic dysfunction (or diastolic heart failure) occurs when the heart contracts normally, but the ventricles do not relax properly or are stiff, and less blood enters the heart during normal filling. Heart failure is a long-term chronic condition that gets worse over time. There are four stages of heart failure (stage A, B, C and D). The stages range from “high risk of developing heart failure” to “advanced heart failure” and offer treatment plans. Ask your doctor what stage of heart failure you are in. These stages differ from the New York Heart Association (NYHA) clinical classifications for heart failure (class I-II-III-IV), which reflect the severity of symptoms or functional limitations due to heart failure. Although the risk of heart failure does not change with age, you are more likely to have heart failure when you are older. Even with treatment, heart failure gets worse over time, so you`ll likely need treatment for the rest of your life. Coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction. Coronary heart disease is the most common form of heart disease and the most common cause of heart failure. The disease results from the accumulation of fatty deposits in the arteries, which can reduce blood flow and lead to a heart attack. There are many possible symptoms of heart failure.
The most common are: In heart failure, the heart`s main pumping chambers (the ventricles) may become stiff and not fill properly between beats. In some people, the heart muscle can be damaged and weakened. The ventricles can extend to the point where the heart can`t pump enough blood throughout the body. It is very important for you to manage your other health problems such as diabetes, kidney disease, anemia, high blood pressure, thyroid disease and asthma or chronic lung disease. Some conditions have similar signs and symptoms to heart failure. If you have new or worsening non-urgent symptoms, talk to your doctor. If you have heart disease, it`s important that you and your doctor know your EF. Your EF can help your doctor determine the best treatment for you. Measuring your EF also helps your healthcare team check how well our treatment is working.
Your treatment will depend on the type of heart failure you have and how severe it is. There is no cure for heart failure. But treatment can help you live longer with fewer symptoms. There are several types of medications that are best avoided in patients with heart failure, including: Ejection fraction (EF) refers to how your left ventricle (or right ventricle) pumps blood with each heartbeat. Most commonly, EF refers to the amount of blood pumped out of the left ventricle each time it contracts. The left ventricle is the main pumping chamber of the heart. Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, is a condition that develops when your heart doesn`t pump enough blood for your body`s needs. This can happen when your heart can`t fill with enough blood.
It can also happen if your heart is too weak to pump properly. The term “heart failure” does not mean that your heart has stopped. However, heart failure is a serious condition that requires medical attention. With the right care and treatment plan, heart failure can limit your activities, but many adults are still enjoying life. How you feel depends on how your heart muscle works, your symptoms, and how you respond and follow your treatment plan. This includes taking care of yourself (taking medications, being active, eating a low-sodium diet, educating and informing your doctor about new or worsening symptoms) and leading a healthy lifestyle (regular follow-up visits to your doctor, annual flu shot).