Back Pain And Congestive Heart Failure

When To See The Doctor

Its important to call 911 immediately if you suspect a possible heart attack, which is a medical emergency that requires urgent treatment.

Routine physical exams and other preventive health care measures such as periodic blood pressure checks, diagnostic testing, etc., can also help identify risk factors for developing issues that may lead to heart disease and heart attack.

At Calvary Medical Clinic, we encourage individuals to come in any time they have concerns about their overall health. Schedule your visit today by the office location most convenient for you or requesting an appointment online. Were here to help.

Types Of Heart Failure

There are several anatomical types of heart failure that can lead to CHF. Both the right and left sides of the heart can fail, but left-sided heart failure is much more common than right-sided heart failure.

Most of the hearts pumping power comes from the left side. The left side of the heart receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the rest of the body. If the large and powerful chambers of the left ventricle and left atrium begin to fail, the left side of the heart has to work harder to pump blood.

Over time, blood can build up in the pulmonary veins, leading to shortness of breath and trouble breathing, especially during physical activity. If left untreated, the right side of the heart may begin to fail as well.

There are two types of left-sided heart failure: heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction .

What Are The Risk Factors For Peripheral Artery Disease

There are risk factors like age that are beyond your control.

• 65 years old and up
• 50-65 years old at risk for atherosclerosis
• younger than 50 years old with type 2 diabetes and a minimum of one risk factor for atherosclerosis

You are also more likely to develop PAD if you have a family history of PAD, heart disease, or stroke.

And this list isnt even exhaustive.

Again, what makes PAD dangerous is that its very hard to catch. Over 50% of PAD patients are asymptomatic.

Its also linked to many possible causes, making it hard to connect to a potential heart attack.

As a general rule of thumb, if your symptoms get worse or if you notice new symptoms, call your doctor immediately.

If theres no obvious trigger for your pain , book an appointment with your doctor.

If in doubt, call your doctor anyway. Claudication or leg pain could point to other health conditions.

The best way to find out if your leg pain is connected to a potential heart attack is by getting tested by a trained physician.

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Heart Failuresigns And Symptoms

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart fails to function properly. The terms “heart failure” and “congestive heart failure ” don’t mean that the heart has actually “failed” or stopped but mean one or more chambers of the heart “fail” to keep up with the volume of blood flowing through them.

Heart failure is brought on by a variety of underlying diseases and health problems.

Your condition may involve the left side, the right side or both sides of the heart. Each side has two chambers:

• An atrium or upper chamber
• A ventricle or lower chamber

Any one of these four chambers may not be able to keep up with the volume of blood flowing through it.

Two types of heart dysfunction can lead to heart failure, including:

• Systolic Heart Failure This is the most common cause of heart failure and occurs when the heart is weak and enlarged. The muscle of the left ventricle loses some of its ability to contract or shorten. In turn, it may not have the muscle power to pump the amount of oxygenated and nutrient-filled blood the body needs.
• Diastolic Failure The muscle becomes stiff and loses some of its ability to relax. As a result, the affected chamber has trouble filling with blood during the rest period that occurs between each heartbeat. Often the walls of the heart thicken, and the size of the left chamber may be normal or reduced.

Classic Heart Attack Symptoms

Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest. In classic heart attacks, the symptoms may come on suddenly and feel intense. It may feel like a crushing or squeezing sensation in the center of your chest.

In addition to chest pain, classic signs of a heart attack are:

• Shortness of breath
• Pain in one or both arms

Symptoms may last for several minutes or may go away and return.

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What Is Heart Failure

Heart failure, or congestive heart failure, is a long-term condition that gets worse over time. Although the name sounds like your heart has stopped working, heart failure means your heart isnt able to pump blood as well as it should. When your heart has less pumping power, that can damage your organs and fluid can collect in your lungs.

Assessment Of Potential Confounders

Given their known association with LBP and coronary heart disease, we investigated smoking status, engagement in physical activity and body mass index as potential baseline confounders. Participants were asked about smoking habits, with answers dichotomised as ex/never smoker or current/occasional smoker. Physical activity was examined by participants engagement in leisure physical activity and was based on four options: i) I do not practice exercise. My leisure time is mostly sedentary ii) Some sport or physical activity occasionally iii) Regular physical activity several times a month iv) Physical training several times a week. Responses to the physical activity variable were dichotomised into sedentary/no physical activity engagement in recreational physical activity or mild/moderate/vigorous physical activity engagement. BMI was calculated by dividing the individuals body weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters and was used as a continuous variable. Smoking status and leisure physical activity questions originated from the Spanish National Health Survey questionnaire .

Descriptive analyses were conducted for all included variables. The exposure variable was chronic LBP and the outcomes included myocardial infarction at anytime, myocardial infarction in the last 2 years, other coronary heart diseases and other coronary heart diseases in the last 2 years.

Recommended Reading: Right Sided Heart Failure Causes

Can Cbd Cause Heart Palpitations

The cardiovascular effects of CBD are currently being studied. Some research suggests that cannabis use may cause arrhythmia or tachycardia .

However, those studies included products that also contain THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis plants. More research is needed to determine if CBD causes heart palpitations.

Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

In heart failure with preserved ejection fraction , formerly known as diastolic heart failure, the left side of the heart retains its ability to pump but the stiffening of the heart muscle does not allow it to relax during beats.

Losing the ability to relax during beats means that the left ventricle chamber loses its capacity to adequately fill with blood, so when it pumps, less blood is pushed out.

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How Safe Is Cbd For Congestive Heart Failure

CBD is generally considered to be safe for congestive heart failure. Research shows no significant adverse effects of CBD at a wide range of doses .

CBD has significant potential to treat a variety of heart diseases and comes with few adverse side effects, though more research is needed. Talk with your doctor before using CBD for heart disease, particularly if you are currently taking any other medications.

Overview Of Heart Failure

Heart disease is an umbrella term that refers to several types of heart conditions. Heart disease may involve the heart valves, arteries, and heart rate, leading to heart failure.

Heart failure is a serious health condition in which the heart isnt pumping the way it should be. The body depends on the hearts pumping action to deliver oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to all of its cells.

With heart failure, the heart cannot supply the bodys cells with enough blood, leading to symptoms that can have a tremendous impact on your quality of life.

Heart failure has a number of causes, including genetics, other medical conditions , and lifestyle .

Symptoms of heart failure vary, depending on the type and severity of heart failure you have. Common symptoms include:

• Inability to sleep when lying flat

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What Are The Symptoms Of Heart Disease

Sometimes heart disease may be silent and not diagnosed until a person experiences signs or symptoms of a heart attack, heart failure, or an arrhythmia. When these events happen, symptoms may include1

• Heart attack: Chest pain or discomfort, upper back or neck pain, indigestion, heartburn, nausea or vomiting, extreme fatigue, upper body discomfort, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
• Arrhythmia: Fluttering feelings in the chest .
• Heart failure: Shortness of breath, fatigue, or swelling of the feet, ankles, legs, abdomen, or neck veins.

Learn the Facts About Heart Disease

• About 697,000 people in the United States died from heart disease in 2020thats 1 in every 5 deaths.1,2

What Are The Other Signs Of Heart Failure And Heart Attack

In addition to claudication or leg pain, there are other signs you need to watch out for.

If you experience these symptoms along with your leg pain, call your doctor immediately.

• swelling or edema

• neck, jaw, or back pain
• pain or discomfort along your shoulder or arms

Leg cramps are no joking matter. They can disrupt your daily life and keep you from getting your 30 minutes of daily exercise.

And it turns out, it may also be a sign of heart disease.

Leg pain and claudication may point to peripheral artery disease, which could increase your risk of heart disease and heart attack.

Check out this video to learn more about heart disease, congestive heart failure, and leg cramps:

Because its very hard to catch, the best way to stop it in its tracks is through vigilance.

Keep your doctor on speed dial, and dont hesitate to ask about symptoms you may be experiencing.

Managing and treating your claudication or peripheral artery disease early could help prevent heart attack and heart failure.

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What Are The Symptoms Of A Heart Attack

When people think about heart attack symptoms, they tend to picture someone clutching their chest in pain and keeling over. While chest pain often described as a squeezing sensation or a crushing pressure is the most common symptom of a heart attack, its by no means the only one. And whats really interesting is that the symptoms are not always the same for women as for men.

Typical heart attack symptoms include:

• Chest discomfort
• Discomfort in other upper body areas
• Shortness of breath
• Breaking out in a cold sweat
• Lightheadedness

According to the Cleveland Clinic, womens symptoms tend to appear more benign on the surface and so may go unreported until its too late. These include:

What Is The Outlook With Heart Failure

With the right care, congestive heart failure wont stop you from doing the things you enjoy. Your prognosis, or outlook for the future, will depend on:

• How well your heart muscle is working.
• How well you respond to your treatment plan.
• How well you follow your treatment plan.

One study says that people with heart failure have a life span 10 years shorter than those who dont have heart failure. Another study showed that the survival rates of people with chronic heart failure were 80% to 90% for one year, but that dropped to 50% to 60% for year five and down to 30% for 10 years.

A different study found that people who had heart failure and were discharged from the hospital had expected life spans ranging from three to 20 years, depending on various factors like age and gender. Its important to look at your specific situation when considering your prognosis.

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Causes Of Heart Failure

Heart failure is often the result of a number of problems affecting the heart at the same time.

Conditions that can lead to heart failure include:

• coronary heart disease where the arteries that supply blood to the heart become clogged up with fatty substances , 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
• heart rhythm problems , 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 can also lead to heart failure.

Does Heart Disease Cause Back Pain

Heart diseases and back pain have been spreading massively across the globe. This has led to many questions regarding the link between the two. Since both of these have had a rapid increase in prevalence in the past decade, its only natural that people will be curious to know about it. So, if you have been trying to find out if heart disease causes back pain or not, then youre in the right place.

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What Are The Symptoms Of A Cardiac Cough

The symptoms of a cardiac cough vary depending on the specific cause. Possible symptoms include:

• A wet cough that produces sputum that may be slightly pink due to blood
• Heavy wheezing, or a whistling sound that happens while breathing, accompanied by coughing
• Shortness of breath while engaging in activities or lying down
• Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
• A bubbling feeling in the chest due to fluid buildup in the lungs
• A long-term dry cough that doesn’t get better when treated

If you’re showing signs of a cardiac cough, you may also have other symptoms of heart failure such as fatigue and swelling.

What Should The Caregiver Remember When The Patient Is At The End

Various important decisions of the patients life have to be taken by the caregivers surrounding the patient. Great responsibilities come up on the caregiver as the patient gradually becomes completely dependent. The caregiver should always be on his toes because there can arise an emergency at any point of time. The patient may have to be admitted to the hospital frequently during the last stage. Symptoms can worsen overnight and the caregivers should be prepared for it.

Also Read:

Read Also: Congestive Heart Disease

If You Believe You Are Having A Heart Attack Do Not Wait To Get Help

• Take nitroglycerin, if prescribed by your doctor.
• Take aspirin, but only if prescribed by your doctor. Aspirin can interact with other medications and should be taken only when advised by a medical professional.

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When Should I Call My Doctor Or 911

It is difficult to tell without seeing your doctor if your back pain is caused by a minor back strain or something more serious, such as a heart attack. See your doctor if you have had ongoing mild to moderate back stiffness, back pain, or problems bending over or moving your back. Dont ignore your symptoms. It is never a bother to ask for help.

People who have a heart attack often say they experience anxiety or fear a vague uneasiness or nervousness or a clear sense of dread or doom. if you have these feelings with back pain or if you have sudden or severe back pain with any of the following symptoms:

• Chest discomfort, such as dull ache, pain, or a feeling of something compressing your chest

• Stomachache, feeling seasick, nauseous, or throwing up

• Pallor or looking white as a ghost

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Back Pain And Heart Disease

Heart disease is an umbrella term for a number of conditions that affect the heart. Heart disease is also a term often used synonymously with cardiovascular disease, though the two reflect different conditions.

Cardiovascular disease generally involves the narrowing or blockage of blood vessels, which can present with symptoms ranging from typical chest pain to shortness of breath and even to back pain, especially in women. These symptoms can signal a heart attack.

A 2019 report in the journal Circulation indicated that 121.5 million U.S. adults, or 48%, have some form of cardiovascular disease, while the CDC found that nearly 634,000 people died from it in 2015, making it the leading killer of Americans.

At Medinet Family Care Clinic in Houston and Sugar Land, Texas, Dr. Bharat Gandhi and Dr. Priya Gandhi take your heart health very seriously. They try to find practical solutions, including lifestyle changes, to minimize their patients risks of developing heart disease and they work hard to manage the condition if and when its diagnosed.