Women And Heart Failure
Women are just as likely as men to develop heart failure, but there are some differences:
- Women tend to develop heart failure later in life compared with men.
- Women tend to have heart failure caused by high blood pressure and have a normal EF .
- Women may have more shortness of breath than men do. There are no differences in treatment for men and women with heart failure.
Life Expectancy With Congestive Heart Failure
When you have congestive heart failure, your heart is not able to pump sufficient amounts of fresh blood to meet your body’s needs. When people are diagnosed with CHS, their first question is for how long they would manage to live. According to a research, 50% of people who have been diagnosed with CHS manage to live for an average of 5 years. Those with advanced heart failure die within a year of diagnosis. However, your life expectancy can improve significantly by bringing some significant changes in your diet and lifestyle. Some basic steps are:
- Eat organic, seasonal, fresh, pesticide-free food only
- Avoid processed foods
- Drink pure, nourishing water that is free of chemicals and impurities
- Sit in the sun to get enough vitamin D
- Increase light exercise and walk more
What You Can Do For Your Loved One
In addition to symptom management, its important for the family caregiver to learn how to recognize the end-of-life signs for CHF, and when they should contact hospice. Hospice care will be able to address the specific needs of CHF patients in their final days, and help them to get the most out of what time they have left.
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Congestive Heart Failure Drugs
There are several medications that can be used to treat CHF, including ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and more.
ACE inhibitors
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors open up narrowed blood vessels to improve blood flow. Vasodilators are another option if you cant tolerate ACE inhibitors.
You may be prescribed one of the following:
- perindopril
- trandolapril
ACE inhibitors shouldnt be taken with the following medications without consulting a doctor, because they may cause an adverse reaction:
- Potassium-sparing diuretics and potassium supplements. These diuretics can cause potassium buildup in the blood, which may lead to abnormal heart rhythms. Examples include: riamterene , eplerenone , and spironolactone .
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs .NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen, can cause sodium and water retention. This may reduce the ACE inhibitors effect on your blood pressure.
This is an abbreviated list, so always speak with your doctor before taking any new medications.
Beta-blockers
Beta-blockers decrease the work the heart has to do and can reduce blood pressure and slow a rapid heart rhythm.
This may be achieved with:
Beta-blockers should be taken with caution with the following medications, as they may cause an adverse reaction:
Some medications may not be listed here. You should always consult your doctor before taking any new medications.
Diuretics
Your doctor may recommend:
Medical History And Physical Exam
Bring a list of your to your doctors appointment, including how often they happen and when they started. Also, bring a list of any prescription and over-the-counter medicines you take. Let your doctor know if you have any for heart failure.
During your physical exam, your doctor will:
- Measure your heart rate, blood pressure, and body weight.
- Listen to your heart with a stethoscope for sounds that suggest that your heart is not working properly.
- Listen to your lungs for the sounds of fluid buildup.
- Look for swelling in your ankles, feet, legs, liver, and veins in your neck.
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What Causes Congestive Heart Failure
Several factors can cause congestive heart failure. They include:
- Presence of other diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure
- Addictions like smoking and alcohol
Although heart failure is a serious condition, it does not mean that the heart stops functioning altogether. With proper management, persons who have congestive heart failure can lead nearly normal lives, depending on its severity. Besides the required medical and surgical interventions, it is important to eat healthy, stay active as possible, and refrain from alcohol, smoking, and drug abuse. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , almost half of the patients with congestive heart failure live beyond five years.
What Medications Should I Avoid If I Have Heart Failure
There are several different types of medications that are best avoided in those with heart failure including:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as Motrin or Aleve. For relief of aches, pains, or fever take Tylenol instead.
- Most calcium channel blockers
- Some nutritional supplements, such as salt substitutes, and growth hormone therapies
- Antacids that contain sodium
If youâre taking any of these drugs, discuss them with your doctor.
Itâs important to know the names of your medications, what theyâre used for, and how often and at what times you take them. Keep a list of your medications and bring them with you to each of your doctor visits. Never stop taking your medications without discussing it with your doctor. Even if you have no symptoms, your medications decrease the work of your heart so that it can pump more effectively.
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What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Congestive Heart Failure
Shortness of breath
The hallmark and most common symptom of left heart failure is shortness of breath and may occur.
Chest Pain
Right heart failure, left heart failure, or both
Complications Of Congestive Heart Failure
Heart failure can lead to a number of complications that can influence the chance of survival, including:
- Rapid Weight Loss Severe heart failure can lead to an unintentional rapid loss of weight that can be life-threatening. Heart failure can cause blood to back up into the liver and intestines, causing these organs to swell. This swelling can lead to nausea and loss of appetite, and can prevent the body from absorbing nutrients from food.
- Impaired Kidney Function Congestive heart failure weakens the hearts ability to pump blood, reducing blood flow to the kidneys. This can lead to kidney damage or kidney failure if left untreated.
- Liver Damage Heart failure can cause fluid to build up on the liver, which can lead to scarring. This makes it more difficult for the liver to carry out its day-to-day functions.
- Arrhythmias Heart failure results in damaged heart muscles, which can lead to the development of an arrhythmia, or abnormal heart beat. Arrhythmias can include the heart beating too quickly, beating too slowly, or beating irregularly.
- Heart Valve Problems If the heart is enlarged due to heart failure, the valves of the heart, which ensure appropriate direction of blood flow through the organ, may not function properly.
- Angina and Heart Attack Heart disease is a major contributing factor in many heart failure cases, and people with congestive heart failure are at continued risk of angina and heart attack.
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Hypertension Or High Blood Pressure
Another cause of congestive heart failure is high blood pressure or hypertension. If you have high blood pressure, your heart muscle works extra hard to pump blood through your body.
As time passes, because of the overexertion, the muscles in your heart can become too weak or too stiff to properly circulate blood to your body. If you have high blood pressure, your heart muscle workextra hard to pump blood through your body.
Is There A Treatment For Heart Failure
There are more treatment options available for heart failure than ever before. Tight control over your medications and lifestyle, coupled with careful monitoring, are the first steps. As the condition progresses, doctors specializing in the treatment of heart failure can offer more advanced treatment options.
The goals of treating heart failure are to try to keep it from getting worse , to ease symptoms, and to improve quality of life.
Some common types of medicines used to treat it are:
- ACE inhibitors
- Aldosterone antagonists
- ARBs
- ARNIs
- Selective sinus node inhibitors
- Soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator
Your doctor may also recommend a program called cardiac rehabilitation to help you exercise safely and keep up a heart-healthy lifestyle. It usually includes workouts that are designed just for you, education, and tips to lower your chance of heart trouble, like quitting smoking or changing your diet.
Cardiac rehab also offers emotional support. You can meet people like you who can help you stay on track.
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What Is Congestive Heart Failure Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment And Prevention
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart doesnt pump as well as it should.
While the term “heart failure” may sound like the heart has stopped working, that isn’t actually the case. It still pumps, just inefficiently.
As a result, there’s a reduction in blood flow to the body and a backup of fluid into the lungs, liver, abdomen, and lower extremities.
Heart failure is a serious condition that is often the end stage or final outcome of many cardiovascular conditions, according to the American Heart Association .
While there’s no cure for heart failure, medication and healthy lifestyle changes can help manage the condition and allow people to maintain a good quality of life.
Physiologic Mechanisms Supporting Associations Between Moderate Drinking And Hf
Earlier studies demonstrated that the beneficial effects of alcohol on cardiovascular disease may be mediated through raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol , improving insulin sensitivity , raising plasma levels of adiponectin , inhibiting inflammation and improving endothelial function , influencing platelet aggregation , other coagulation factors , fibrinolysis , and increasing plasma concentration of atrial natriuretic peptide . These multiple effects of alcohol could lower the risk of major risk factors for HF, including MI and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Several studies have reported a lower risk of MI and diabetes mellitus with light-to-moderate alcohol consumption. This hypothesis is consistent with the attenuation of the relative risks upon additional adjustment for MI or diabetes and the lack of an association between moderate drinking and HF without antecedent MI that has been observed in some studies. Overall, there is ample evidence supporting major biologic pathways by which moderate drinking may lower the risk of HF.
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When Should I Call An Ambulance
If you have any of the symptoms below, call triple zero immediately and ask for an ambulance. If calling triple zero does not work on your mobile phone, try calling 112.
- chest pain thats severe or worsening, or has lasted longer than 10 minutes
- chest pain that feels heavy, crushing or tight
- other symptoms, such as breathlessness, nausea, dizziness or a cold sweat
- pain in your jaw or down your left arm
When Should I Get Emergency Care
Go to the ER or call 911 if you have:
- New, unexplained, and severe chest pain that comes with shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, or weakness
- Fast heart rate , especially if you are short of breath
- Shortness of breath that doesn’t get better if you rest
- Sudden weakness, or you can’t move your arms or legs
- Sudden, severe headache
- Fainting spells
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What Kind Of Heart Problems Do Ckd Cats Have
Overview Since the kidneys and heart are closely related, heart problems are relatively common in CKD cats. This page covers the three main heart issues you may be faced with: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy , congestive heart failure , and arterial thromboembolism . Treating the heart must normally take precedence.
How Does Congestive Heart Failure Affect The Renal System
When you have heart disease, your heart may not pump blood in the right way. Your heart may become too full of blood. This causes pressure to build in the main vein connected to your kidneys, which may lead to a blockage and a reduced supply of oxygen rich blood to the kidneys. This can lead to kidney disease.
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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.
Causes And Risk Factors Of Chronic Heart Failure
Chronic heart failure has no single cause it is most accurately thought of as a complication of a variety of other conditions, each affecting the ability of the heart to pump blood around the body effectively.
One of the most common conditions that causes chronic heart failure is coronary artery disease. CHD leads to a narrowing of the coronary arteries that supply the heart with blood and oxygen, depriving it of the oxygen it needs to function effectively. Although chronic heart failure is a common complication of CHD, it does not occur in all cases.
- Thyroid gland disease
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Common Signs And Symptoms Of Heart Failure
It is very important for you to manage your other health conditions, such as diabetes, kidney disease, anemia, high blood pressure, thyroid disease and asthma or chronic lung disease. Some conditions have signs and symptoms that are similar to heart failure. If you have new or worsening non-urgent symptoms, tell your healthcare provider.
Treatment And Medication Options For Congestive Heart Failure
Heart failure is a chronic condition and there is no cure. However, once youve been diagnosed, there are several things you can do to treat the condition and manage it so that it does not progress. Chief among them are lifestyle changes. These include exercising and maintaining a heart-healthy diet thats low in saturated fat, trans fats, and cholesterol.
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Can Drug Abuse Cause Congestive Heart Failure
As well explore, there is growing evidence showing that drug abuse can cause congestive heart failure. Even in recovery, many people still must deal with the complications of drug use and heart failure.
Heart failure is estimated to affect just under 6 million people each year in the United States. Its a serious and prevalent condition that indicates a persons heart is functioning less efficiently than it should.
There are many potential causes behind the development of congestive heart failure, such as high blood pressure and long-standing alcohol use disorder. Each damages the heart muscle over time. Subsequently, blood begins to move through the body and heart slower while blood pressure increases simultaneously.
Congestive heart failure is the hearts inability to pump enough nutrients and oxygens to meet the bodys basic and vital needs. Congestive heart failure may cause heart chambers to stretch or even thicken. The kidneys may begin to retain fluid in response to heart failure.
As fluids build, salt also accumulates in the body. Fluids and salts tend to congregate throughout the limbs, organs, and lungs. The result is congestion, known as congestive heart failure.
Our Favorite Online Support Groups
Sponsored by the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses, this online support community for any person who has been affected by heart failure allows you to connect with others and to hear from real medical experts. There is also a resource section which has information on things like low-salt cookbooks and patient tips to get through the holidays.
This network has tracks for various heart conditions where you can post questions, share your story, and learn more about your condition. Once you sign up to become a part of the community, you will receive personalized content based on your condition and concerns.
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What Is Heart Failure
Heart failure doesnât mean the heart has stopped working. Rather, it means that the heart works less efficiently than normal. Due to various possible causes, blood moves through the heart and body at a slower rate, and pressure in the heart increases. As a result, the heart canât pump enough oxygen and nutrients to meet the body’s needs.
The chambers of the heart may respond by stretching to hold more blood to pump through the body or by becoming stiff and thickened. This helps to keep the blood moving, but the heart muscle walls may eventually weaken and become unable to pump as efficiently. The kidneys may respond by causing the body to retain fluid and salt. If fluid builds up in the arms, legs, ankles, feet, lungs, or other organs, the body becomes congested. Congestive heart failure is the term used to describe the condition.