HEART FAILURE
Heart failure also known as congestive heart failure ,means the heart is not pumping effectively. Heart failure can be chronic or may start suddenly (acute).
Diagnosis and Treatment of Aortic Stenosis
- Left sided
- Right sided
- Systolic heart failure
- Diastolic heart failure
Causes
- Coronary artery disease due to blockages in arteries
- Cardiomyopathy -damage due to decreased blood flow, infections, alcohol and drug abuse.
- Conditions that overwork the heart like high blood pressure, valve disease, thyroid disease, kidney disease, diabetes, or heart defects since birth and several diseases or conditions are present at once.
Symptoms
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue and weakness
- Swelling (edema) of legs, ankles and feet.
- Rapid or irregular heartbeat.
- Reduced ability to exercise.
- Persistent cough or wheezing .
- Increased need to urinate at night
- Swelling of the abdomen(ascites).
- Rapid weight gain from fluid retention.
- Lack of appetite and nausea.
- Sudden , severe shortness of breath and coughing up pink ,foamy mucus.
The above symptoms can overlap with other heart and lung conditions but if one experiences any of these above one must seek help immediately.
Complications
- Kidney damage – heart failure can reduce blood flow to your kidneys if untreated
- Heart valve problems- the heart valves may not function properly if the heart is enlarged and the pressure is high due to failure.
- Heart rhythm problems
- Liver damage
Prevention And Treatment
The key to prevention is to reduce the risk factors . These include :
- Not smoking
- Controlling certain conditions such as high B.P. and diabetes.
- Staying physically fit.
- Eating healthy foods
- Maintaining healthy weight.
- Reducing and managing stress.
Treatment
- Non pharmacological- lifestyle modification
- Pharmacological
- Device related- CRTP(Cardiac resynchronization therapy), AICD and finally heart transplant option can be looked at.
