HealthDiseases and Conditions

Signs of heart failure

Heart failure is a pathological condition when the heart can not contract with such force to pump blood in the volume necessary for tissues and organs. Symptoms of heart failure may appear acute or develop for a long time. At the same time, the state of a person is gradually deteriorating.

It is chronic (congestive) heart failure that occurs in 5% of older people, and, more often in women.

Causes of heart failure

To combat the phenomena of heart failure, it is necessary not only to find out whether there was a violation of the heart, but also to find the cause that could become a trigger mechanism in the development of this disease.

Immediate cause of heart failure may be pulmonary embolism, thyrotoxicosis in pregnant women, anemia, infective endocarditis, stress (physical, dietary or emotional), hypertension and myocardial infarction.

However, if the heart itself is healthy, then all these "catastrophes" will not lead to circulatory failure, whereas pathologies (aortic stenosis, cardiomyopathy, valvular defects, coronary heart disease) lead to the fact that the signs of heart failure develop rapidly and severely.

Symptoms of heart failure

The earliest sign may be shortness of breath in case of heart failure. At the onset of the disease, it appears only after physical exertion, but with the progression of the disease it becomes difficult to breathe and at rest. A healthy person also has shortness of breath, but a more intense load is required for it than with heart failure. In severe cases, there is nocturnal (paroxysmal) dyspnea due to stagnant phenomena in the lungs.

Gradually begin to appear edema . First, the legs suffer, then the stomach, and in case of severe insufficiency, the face.

Fatigue and weakness are due to poor blood supply to the muscles, and mental disorders such as headache, decreased memory and attention, insomnia and anxiety result from poor blood supply to the brain.

A person with chronic heart failure feels better in an upright position (orthopnea) . This is due to the outflow of blood from the lungs to the lower extremities. Many patients even have to sleep while sitting.

When the veins overflow the liver, pain in the right upper quadrant occurs. From the lack of blood circulation , limbs suffer, which is manifested by pale or blue skin of the hands, feet, and sometimes the lips.

Diagnosis of heart failure

Diagnosis of the disease can be even before the signs of heart failure appeared. For this, a person must necessarily consult a doctor with the first symptoms associated with heart disease (pressure jumps, chest pain, swelling).

The doctor should conduct a series of studies and determine the degree of development of circulatory failure, identify complications (if any) and prescribe adequate treatment.

Signs of heart failure can be detected by questioning, examining and auscultation of the heart and lungs. Additional methods include electrocardiography, echocardiography, chest X-ray, and blood and urine tests.

Treatment of heart failure

If there is a lack of blood circulation, you must follow a diet with limited content of salt and exercise (but not athletic).

The medicines needed for this disease include:

- diuretic preparations;

- cardiac glycosides ;

Beta-blockers;

- ACE inhibitors;

- Nitrates.

Any medicine can be taken only after consulting a cardiologist.

Drug therapy is aimed at stopping the progression of the disease and improving the quality of life of the patient, so it should be carried out for a long time (sometimes for life).

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