HEART FAILURE
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-failure/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17069-heart-failure-
understanding-heart-failure
- What is heart failure
Heart failure means that the heart is unable to pump blood around the
body properly.
It usually happens because the heart has become too weak or stiff.
Heart failure does not mean your heart has stopped working. It means it
needs some support to help it work better.
Heart failure is a long-term condition that tends to get gradually worse
over time.
- Symptoms of heart failure
The main symptoms of heart failure are:
breathlessness after activity or at rest
feeling tired most of the time and finding exercise exhausting
feeling lightheaded or fainting
swollen ankles and legs
Some people also experience other symptoms, such as a persistent cough,
a fast heart rate and dizziness.
Symptoms can develop quickly (acute heart failure) or gradually over
weeks or months (chronic heart failure).
- Causes of heart failure
coronary heart disease – where the arteries that supply blood to
the heart become clogged up with fatty substances
(atherosclerosis), which may cause angina or a heart attack
high blood pressure – this can put extra strain on the heart, which
over time can lead to heart failure
conditions affecting the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias), such as atrial fibrillation
damage or other problems with the heart valves
congenital heart disease – birth defects that affect the normal
workings of the heart
Sometimes obesity, anaemia, drinking too much alcohol, an overactive
thyroid or high pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension) can also
lead to heart failure.
the types of heart failure
Left-sided heart failure
Heart failure with reduced left ventricular function (HF-rEF)
The lower left chamber of your heart (left ventricle) gets bigger and
cannot squeeze (contract) hard enough to pump the right amount of
oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body.
Heart failure with preserved left ventricular function (HF-pEF)
Your heart contracts and pumps normally, but the bottom chambers of
your heart (ventricles) are thicker and stiffer than normal. Because of this,
your ventricles can't relax properly and fill up all the way. Because there's
less blood in your ventricles, your heart pumps out less blood to the rest
of your body when it contracts
Right-sided heart failure
Heart failure can also affect the right side of your heart. Left-sided heart
failure is the most common cause of this. Other causes include certain
lung problems and issues in other organs
- Treatments for heart failure
Common treatments include:
lifestyle changes – including eating a healthy diet, exercising
regularly and stopping smoking
medicine – a range of medicines can help; many people need to
take 2 or 3 different types
devices implanted in your chest – these can help control your
heart rhythm
surgery – such as a bypass operation or a heart transplant
