Signs Symptoms Of Heart Failure

How Can I Improve My Quality Of Life With Heart Failure

There are several things you can do to improve your quality of life if you have heart failure. Among them:

• Eat a healthy diet. Limit your consumption of sodium to less than 1,500 milligrams each day. Eat foods high in fiber. Limit foods high in trans fat, cholesterol, and sugar. Reduce total daily intake of calories to lose weight if necessary.
• Exercise regularly. A regular cardiovascular exercise program, prescribed by your doctor, will help improve your strength and make you feel better. It may also decrease heart failure progression.
• Don’t overdo it. Plan your activities and include rest periods during the day. Certain activities, such as pushing or pulling heavy objects and shoveling may worsen heart failure and its symptoms.
• Prevent respiratory infections. Ask your doctor about flu and pneumonia vaccines.
• Take your medications as prescribed. Do not stop taking them without first contacting your doctor.
• Get emotional or psychological support if needed. Heart failure can be difficult for your whole family. If you have questions, ask your doctor or nurse. If you need emotional support, social workers, psychologists, clergy, and heart failure support groups are a phone call away. Ask your doctor or nurse to point you in the right direction.

Dr Nighat Reveals Heart Attacks Symptoms In Women

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A heart attack can shock you and your family. Sometimes, it appears like it comes out of nowhere if it displays just a few symptoms, such as chest pain. But experts have explained that there are subtle signs that can be detected months or even longer before the event occurs.

Doctor Zi-Jian Xu of the health body Sutter Health explains that the majority of heart attacks show somewhat typical symptoms.

These typical symptoms include angina , heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and cold sweats.

But the doctor adds that you may have six atypical symptoms. These include fatigue, a vague sense of uneasiness, vague discomfort, tummy pain, back pain and a general decline in your stamina.

Some people, he explains, have either of these groups of symptoms months or even longer before a heart attack.

How Can I Prevent Left

Living a heart-healthy lifestyle can lower your risk of left-sided heart failure. If youve already experienced this condition, healthy habits can help you avoid future issues.

Steps you can take to prevent left-sided heart failure include:

• Get high blood pressure or coronary artery disease under control.
• Make time for regular physical activity and a good nights sleep.
• Maintain a healthy weight and eat fruits and vegetables.
• Manage stress with deep breathing or relaxation techniques.
• Quitting tobacco if you use it and avoiding secondhand smoke.

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Imaging And Other Tests

Other tests provide pictures of the heart and surrounding structures or show how well the heart is working:

• Electrocardiogram : An electrocardiogram test uses small sensors to measure heart rate , rhythm and electrical impulses.
• Chest X-ray: A chest X-ray is a picture of your lungs, heart and surrounding structures. It can show whether there is fluid in your lungs from heart failure, or if your heart muscle is enlarged.
• Echocardiogram : Echocardiography uses sound waves to create images of your heart. It can show how thick the heart muscle has become, as well as measure ejection fraction.
• MRI: MRI is an advanced imaging test that takes pictures of the heart and surrounding structures. It helps determine your heart function and size and whether there are any changes in the heart muscle. A cardiac MRI may help your doctors identify causes of heart failure.

Will I Need A Procedure As Part Of My Left

A procedure may be necessary if:

• Your symptoms dont improve.
• Your testing or labs show signs of worsening heart failure.

Your care may include:

• Cardiac resynchronization therapy : An implantable device that uses a gentle electrical current to stimulate your hearts pumping action. Its also called a biventricular pacemaker.
• Electrical cardioversion: This procedure helps restore a normal rhythm.
• Implantable cardioverter defibrillator : This implantable device detects arrhythmias and sends a gentle electrical current to restore a normal rhythm.
• Left ventricular assist device : An implantable pump that helps the heart circulate blood.
• Heart transplant: Procedure to replace a worn-out heart with a healthy one from a donor. This treatment is for patients with the most severe forms of left-sided heart failure.

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How To Treat And Prevent Congestive Heart Failure

Treatment for heart failure varies depending on the severity of your condition. Adopting a healthy lifestyle tends to significantly impact treating and preventing congestive heart failure. If you form these habits early, you can lower your risk of developing heart failure in the first place. Consider the following strategies to prevent heart failure:

• Avoid smoking: People who smoke are 2-4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease that can lead to heart failure.
• Eat healthy foods: Eating primarily fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, healthy fats and lean protein promotes your heart health and overall well-being.
• Stay active: Exercising regularly is great for your heart, and it helps control your weight. Maintaining a healthy weight lowers your risk of heart failure.
• Take care of yourself: Many types of heart disease can lead to heart failure. If you have an existing cardiovascular condition, monitor and manage it carefully. Take your medications as prescribed to maintain your heart health.

For most people, heart failure is a lifelong condition. Fortunately, treatment can reduce your symptoms and increase your chances of enjoying a long and healthy life. Here are some treatment options to slow the progression of congestive heart failure:

Facts About Heart Failure In The United States

• About 6.2 million adults in the United States have heart failure.1
• In 2018, heart failure was mentioned on 379,800 death certificates .1
• Heart failure costs the nation an estimated $30.7 billion in 2012.2 This total includes the cost of health care services, medicines to treat heart failure, and missed days of work.

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How Is Congestive Heart Failure Diagnosed

Patients will typically have an intake visit with a heart specialist and nurse or physicians assistant. During this visit, the doctor will review the patients prior records and his or her current health status. This allows the doctor to establish a picture of where the patient is along the spectrum, and make a plan for prognosis and treatment.

The process often takes more than one meeting and involves both the patients local cardiologist or referring physician.

Do I Need To Alter My Dogs Lifestyle

Once your dog has been diagnosed with CHF, he will need regular vet check-ups and sometimes blood tests to monitor her kidney function which can be affected by heart medications. Your veterinarian might recommend a prescription diet to help support your dogs heart health. Most dogs with CHF can exercise normally once their symptoms are controlled but they should be allowed to rest when they need to.

Your veterinarian will teach you to count your dogs sleeping respiratory rate . This is one of the best ways for you to monitor at home whether or not your dogs symptoms are controlled. An increase in SRR usually indicates that your dogs heart failure is getting worse.

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What Can You Expect From Heart Failure Treatment

Heart failure treatment is designed to dramatically reduce or halt your symptoms and hopefully prevent potential complications like kidney or liver damage, Dr. Wong says.

There are lots of medications that can be used to treat heart failure. In the early stages, the basic gist is that certain drugs can help to relax blood vessels, lower blood pressure, improve blood flow, and decrease the strain on your heart. Others can help you release extra fluid to keep it from building up in your body. If you progress to more advanced heart failure stages, there are medications that can help strengthen your heart muscle contractions to pump blood more effectively, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Youll likely be encouraged to make some lifestyle changes as well. According to the AHA, that can include things like quitting smoking if you use tobacco, avoiding alcohol, limiting your sodium intake or making other dietary changes, exercising regularly, prioritizing sleep, reducing stress, monitoring your blood pressure, and more.

Your doctor may also recommend certain surgeries or medical procedures if needed in more severe cases, which can include options like coronary bypass surgery, heart valve repair or replacement, a heart transplant, among others, depending on the specific cause of your heart failure.4

What Is The Prognosis For Children With Congenital Heart Defects

The prognosis depends on the defect. In many cases, children with congenital heart defects go on to live normal lives. In most cases, people with heart defects are at greater risk for developing infection of the heart and valves. They may need to take antibiotics when having certain dental or surgical procedures in order to prevent endocarditis, an infection of the hearts lining.

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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.

Heart Attack Warning Signs

There are classic warning signs associated with having a heart attack that you may be familiar with, including chest pain or discomfort and feeling an enormous sense of squeezing or tightness in the chest.2-3,5

But there are other symptoms that are just as important to know:

• Pain in the upper body such as the neck, jaw, upper back, or arms
• Sudden or severe difficulty breathing
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fainting, dizziness, or lightheadedness

Recognizing the broader warning signs is important, especially because men and women often have different symptoms. Although chest pain is the most common symptom for everyone, women are more likely to experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, upper back pain or pressure, or jaw pain.4 The symptoms can be very subtle.4

You dont have to have heart failure to have a heart attack. Many people have undiagnosed heart failure and their first symptom is a heart attack. Others will have a HF diagnosis but never have a heart attack. It is important to know the symptoms and warning signs of heart failure and heart attacks quick medical attention can save a life.

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What Are Treatment Options For Dogs With Congestive Heart Failure

There is no cure for CHF but it can be successfully managed for several months to years with medications. Your dog is likely to require a combination of different medications to help manage her CHF. These will need to be taken every day for the rest of her life and might include:

• A diuretic to help remove excess fluid from building up in the lungs.
• An ACE-inhibitor to lower blood pressure.
• A positive inotrope to help increase the hearts ability to contract.

The number and combination of medications that your dog requires will depend on the cause and severity of her CHF. Dose adjustments may need to be made depending on your dogs response to treatment and as her CHF progresses.

What Are The Common Early Symptoms Of Heart Failure In Adults

Most of the common symptoms of heart failure are also associated with other conditions.

But if you have any symptoms that are recurrent or persistent, or if you have two or more common early signs of heart failure, its a good idea to seek medical care. A medical professional can assess your symptoms and determine if heart failure is the cause.

Common early symptoms of heart failure include:

• shortness of breath
• trouble sleeping, or sleeping on extra pillows
• waking up at night short of breath
• loss of appetite or nausea
• heart palpitations

Next, well explain a bit more about why each of these symptoms can be caused by heart failure.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease

Often, there are no symptoms associated with these defects. The defects are usually found during routine physical examinations. In cases where there are symptoms, they may include:

• Trouble breathing.
• Bluish tones to the skin .
• Poor eating habits.
• Swelling in the abdomen or around the eyes.
• Rapid heartbeat.

What Are The Types Of Heart Failure

There are many causes of heart failure, but the condition is generally broken down into these types:

Left-sided heart failure

Heart failure with reduced left ventricular function The lower left chamber of your heart gets bigger and cannot squeeze hard enough to pump the right amount of oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body.

Heart failure with preserved left ventricular function Your heart contracts and pumps normally, but the bottom chambers of your heart 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.

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How Is Heart Failure Treated

Your treatment will depend on the type of heart failure you have and, in part, what caused it. Medications and lifestyle behaviors are part of every treatment plan. Your healthcare provider will talk to you about the best treatment plan for you. Treatment is the same, regardless of gender.

As heart failure gets worse, your heart muscle pumps less blood to your organs, and you move toward the next stage of heart failure. Since you cant move backward through the heart failure stages, the goal of treatment is to keep you from moving forward through the stages or to slow down the progression of your heart failure.

Stage A treatment

The usual treatment plan for people with Stage A heart failure includes:

• Regular exercise, being active, walking every day.
• Stopping the use of tobacco products.
• Treatment for high blood pressure .
• Treatment for high cholesterol.
• Not drinking alcohol or using recreational drugs.
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin II receptor blocker if you have coronary artery disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, or other vascular or cardiac conditions.
• Beta-blocker if you have high blood pressure.

Stage B treatment

The usual treatment plan for people with Stage B heart failure includes:

Stage C treatment

The usual treatment plan for people with Stage C HF-rEF includes:

If the treatment causes your symptoms to get better or stop, you still need to continue treatment to slow the progression to Stage D.

Stage D treatment

Heart Failure In Women

Heart failure affects increasing numbers of older women, but it’s becoming easier to prevent and treat.

When we think about cardiovascular catastrophes, heart attack and stroke leap to mind. We’re less likely to think of heart failure, though it affects more than 2.5 million women and is the leading reason for hospitalization in women over 65. The term “heart failure” evokes an image of a suddenly silent heart, but the condition is better described as a gradual decline in the heart’s ability to pump and circulate blood.

Like other muscles in the body, the heart weakens over the years. For most people, the effects are subtle: color fades from the cheeks hands grow cold you begin to nod off earlier in the evening. But for the 1% of people over 65 who develop heart failure, a decline in the supply of oxygenated blood to organs and tissues can eventually jeopardize the lungs, kidneys, and liver.

Today, we know that practicing healthful habits earlier in life can often prevent heart failure. And thanks to improved treatments aimed at preserving heart function, women with heart failure can expect to survive longer than in past generations.

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Myocytes And Myocardial Remodeling

In the failing heart, increased myocardial volume is characterized by larger myocytes approaching the end of their life cycle. As more myocytes drop out, an increased load is placed on the remaining myocardium, and this unfavorable environment is transmitted to the progenitor cells responsible for replacing lost myocytes.

Progenitor cells become progressively less effective as the underlying pathologic process worsens and myocardial failure accelerates. These featuresnamely, the increased myocardial volume and mass, along with a net loss of myocytesare the hallmark of myocardial remodeling. This remodeling process leads to early adaptive mechanisms, such as augmentation of stroke volume and decreased wall stress and, later, to maladaptive mechanisms such as increased myocardial oxygen demand, myocardial ischemia, impaired contractility, and arrhythmogenesis.

As heart failure advances, there is a relative decline in the counterregulatory effects of endogenous vasodilators, including nitric oxide , prostaglandins , bradykinin , atrial natriuretic peptide , and B-type natriuretic peptide . This decline occurs simultaneously with the increase in vasoconstrictor substances from the RAAS and the adrenergic system, which fosters further increases in vasoconstriction and thus preload and afterload. This results in cellular proliferation, adverse myocardial remodeling, and antinatriuresis, with total body fluid excess and worsening of heart failure symptoms.

What Is The Outlook For People With Heart Failure

With the right care, heart failure may not stop you from doing the things you enjoy. Your prognosis or outlook for the future will depend on how well your heart muscle is functioning, your symptoms, and how well you respond to and follow your treatment plan.

Everyone with a long-term illness, such as heart failure, should discuss their desires for extended medical care with their doctor and family. An “advance directive” or “living will” is one way to let everyone know your wishes. A living will expresses your desires about the use of medical treatments to prolong your life. This document is prepared while you are fully competent in case you are unable to make these decisions at a later time.

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