Understanding Heart Failure
Heart failure or Heart Failure does not mean that the heart will stop working, but it is a condition where the heart cannot function as well as it should. The condition in which the heart is weak or getting weaker (Heart Failure) makes it increasingly difficult to do things that are normally easy. However, there are various ways that patients and doctors can work together to help the heart function better again.
Symptoms of Heart Failure & Weak Heart
There may be several symptoms together or just a single symptom, such as
- Fatigue, tiredness
- Discomfort, difficulty breathing when exercising
- Difficulty breathing when lying on your back
- Waking up in the middle of the night due to coughing or difficulty breathing
- Swollen ankles or feet
- Frequent dizziness, frequent blackouts
- Frequent urination at night
Causes of Heart Failure & Weak Heart
The common causes result from ischemic heart disease from narrowed coronary arteries or a heart attack, and heart failure. Other causes include high blood pressure, valvular heart disease, and myocardial infection. These causes reduce the heart muscle’s ability to pump blood, which also reduces the amount of blood flowing through the body. The heart tries to adjust by pumping normal blood volumes to feed different parts of the body, so the heart chambers expand to hold more blood, which can only work for a while because the expanded heart muscle will become weary and unable to pump efficiently with each contraction. A weak heart pumps less blood.
- Causes fluid retention in the lungs
- Decreases the oxygen supply to various organs such as the kidneys, reducing the kidney’s ability to remove excess water from the body. Fluid therefore accumulates in different parts of the body, causing edema, a cycle that progressively worsens heart failure and weakens the heart.
Once diagnosed with heart failure, the patient and doctor can collaborate to make the patient’s life comfortable. The doctor may prescribe medications to improve heart function, while the patient should make some lifestyle changes such as diet, medication scheduling, monitoring feelings, recording weight, and notifying the doctor when feeling worse.
