Heart failure is a pathological condition when the heart cannot contract with such force to pump blood in the volume necessary for tissues and organs. Signs of heart failure can appear acutely or develop over time. In this case, the condition of a person gradually worsens.
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 a reason that could become a trigger in the development of this disease.
The immediate cause of heart failure can be pulmonary embolism, thyrotoxicosis in pregnant women, anemia, infectious endocarditis, stress (physical, dietary or emotional), arterial hypertension and myocardial infarction.
However, if the heart itself is healthy, then all these "catastrophes" will not lead to circulatory failure, while pathologies (aortic stenosis, cardiomyopathy, valve defects, coronary heart disease) lead to the fact that signs of heart failure develop rapidly and to a severe degree.
Symptoms of Heart Failure
The earliest sign may be shortness of breath in 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 at rest. A healthy person also has shortness of breath, however, for its occurrence, a more intense load is needed than with heart failure. In severe cases, there is nocturnal (paroxysmal) shortness of breath due to congestion in the lungs.
Gradually, edema begins to appear. First, the legs suffer, then the stomach, and in severe insufficiency - the face.
Fatigue and weakness are caused by 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 of the liver are full, pain appears in the right hypochondrium . Extremities suffer from circulatory failure , which is manifested by pallor or blue skin of the arms, legs, and sometimes lips.
Heart failure diagnosis
You can diagnose the disease even before the signs of heart failure appear. For this, a person should definitely consult a doctor at the first symptoms associated with heart diseases (pressure surges, pain behind the sternum, 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 interrogation, examination and auscultation of the heart and lungs. Additional methods include electrocardiography, echocardiography, chest x-ray, and blood and urine tests.
Heart failure treatment
In case of circulatory failure, it is necessary to follow a diet with a limited content of sodium chloride and perform physical exercises (but not sports).
The medicines necessary for this disease include:
- diuretics;
- cardiac glycosides ;
- beta blockers;
- ACE inhibitors;
- nitrates.
Any medicine can be taken only after consultation with 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).