“We educate all our patients on low-sodium diets because salt affects fluid retention. Volz says patients need to follow a low-salt diet and make other lifestyle changes. In addition to medication or a heart procedure, Dr. Patients who have heart blockages or have had a heart attack may need a procedure to place stents or bypass surgery to improve blood flow. “With good medical therapy, many patients can have an improvement in symptoms and go on to live longer.” If it’s fluid retention, diuretics increase urination to help remove excess fluid from the body,” Dr. So if it’s high blood pressure, then the medications would address the high blood pressure. “There are prescription medications that address whatever it is that was causing the heart to fail. However, with proper treatment and lifestyle changes, you can live a long, active life. Heart failure is a serious condition that requires medical attention. Also watch out for symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness or fainting, and fluctuations in blood pressure. This is partly because the kidneys aren’t receiving enough blood to work properly the fluid may build up in the arms, legs, lungs or other organs, and the body becomes congested-hence the term congestive heart failure.
“These tend to be worse when people are trying to do activities, something as benign as walking from room to room, up a flight of stairs, carrying groceries or trying to work,” she says.Īnother common symptom is retaining fluid. Volz says, are shortness of breath and fatigue. Two of the most common symptoms of heart failure, Dr. Volz says less common causes of heart failure include genetic predisposition, obesity and some medications, such as certain chemotherapy drugs. Diabetes is another strong risk factor for coronary artery disease and subsequent heart failure.ĭr. Damage to the heart muscle caused by drug or alcohol use or some viruses also increases the risk of heart failure. Over time, this extra workload can make your heart muscle too stiff or too weak to pump blood effectively. “Chronically elevated blood pressure means your heart has to work harder than it should to circulate blood throughout your body,” Dr. In addition to coronary artery disease, uncontrolled high blood pressure may lead to heart failure. “If someone had a heart attack or damaged their heart muscle directly, it puts a significant strain on the heart,” she says. This slows blood flow, which can lead to a heart attack. Coronary artery disease results from the buildup of plaque or fatty deposits in your arteries. In the United States, one of the most common causes of heart failure is coronary artery disease, Dr. Common and Not-So-Common Causes of Heart Failure But people with heart failure can live healthy, active lives with management and medication. Heart failure is a serious condition that can be life-threatening. “It can be caused by any number of things.” “Heart failure is a generic term that actually encompasses a lot of different syndromes,” says UNC Health Rex cardiologist Elizabeth Volz, MD. Common symptoms include swelling in the abdomen and legs, shortness of breath with walking or lying down, and fatigue. In other words, your heart simply cannot keep up with the demands of your body at rest or during activities, such as work or exercise. Rather, it means that your heart has weakened or been damaged so it isn’t able to pump enough blood to the rest of your body. Heart failure, also known as congestive heart failure, is a chronic condition that affects more than 6 million Americans.ĭespite its name, heart failure does not mean your heart has stopped working.
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