Heart Failure also known as congestive heart failure occurs when the heart muscles don’t pump blood with the same efficiency as they used to or how it should. This may be because of narrowed arteries in your heart or high blood pressure. These all things gradually leave your heart too weak or stiff and hinder its pumping abilities.
Not every condition that can lead to heart failure can be reversed but treatments can improve the ongoing signs and symptoms that will help you live longer. Lifestyles changes – such as adopting an active routine that includes exercising, reducing the sodium in the diet, managing stress levels and losing, weight. Choose the hospital with the best cardiologist in India at your disposal.
Symptoms
Heart failure can be ongoing (chronic) or your condition may worsen suddenly also known as acute heart failure. Heart failure signs and symptoms may include but not limited to:
- Shortness of breath when one lies down or when you exert yourself
- Fatigue and weakness
- Swelling (edema) in your legs, ankles and feet
- Irregular or rapid heartbeat
- Reduced ability to exercise
- Persistent cough or wheezing with white or pink blood-tinged phlegm
- Increased need to urinate at night
- Swelling of your abdomen (ascites)
- Very rapid weight gain from fluid retention
- Lack of appetite and nausea
- Difficulty concentrating or decreased alertness
- Sudden, severe shortness of breath and coughing up pink, foamy mucus
- Chest pain if your heart failure is caused by a heart attack
When to visit a doctor
If you even think that you are experiencing any of the signs mentioned below you should without wasting a moment’s time seek emergency treatment.
- Severe weakness or fainting
- Chest pain
- Coughing up of pink foamy mucus and sudden but severe shortness of breath
- Irregular and rapid heartbeat combined with shortness of breath, chest pain, and fainting.
Although these are the most prevalent signs of heart failure it is not necessary the above-mentioned things only indicate heart failure. They can also be the symptoms of much serious heart and lung conditions.
Causes
In case of heart failure, the main pumping chambers of your heart may become too stiff to function properly, this means that the heart does not fill properly in between beats. In some cases the heart failure, the heart muscles may become damaged and weakened and the ventricles stretch to the point of no return. Thus leading to inefficient operation of the heart.
Over the course of time, the heart can no longer keep up with the normal demands placed on it by the body. The ejection fraction is an important measurement of how well your heart is pumping and is used in determining the amount of heart failure and guide the treatment. In a healthy and normal functioning heart, the ejection fraction is 50% or higher – meaning that more than half of the blood is pumped out with each beat. But heart failure can occur even with a normal ejection fraction for example in the case of stiff heart muscles due to high blood pressure. Get your heart treated by the best cardiologist in India.