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What Is Heart Failure? What Causes Heart Failure?

Even though it may sound like it, heart failure does not necessarily mean that the heart has failed. Heart failure is a serious condition in which the heart is not pumping blood around the body efficiently. The patient"s left side, right side, or even both sides of the body can be affected. Symptoms will depend on which side is affected and how severe the heart failure is - symptoms can be severe. According to Medilexicon"s medical dictionary, heart failure is "1. inadequacy of the heart so that as a pump it fails to maintain the circulation of blood, with the result that congestion and edema develop in the tissues; 2. resulting clinical syndromes include shortness of breath, pitting or nonpitting edema, enlarged tender liver, engorged neck veins, and pulmonary rales in various combinations.". The number of elderly people developing heart failure is increasing in industrial countries, especially in the USA. The number of older patients hospitalized for heart failure in the US has more than doubled in the last 27 years, according to this report. Another US study found that Afro-Americans are 20 times more likely to develop heart failure before the age of 50 years compared to Caucasian-Americans. The American Heart Association says that American adults with severe heart failure see almost three times as many Medicare providers each year compared to a typical beneficiary. Interesting related articles What is a heart attack? What causes a heart attack? What is the difference between Diabetes Type 1 and Diabetes Type 2? What is hypertension? What causes hypertension? What are statins? How statins work and the side effects of statins What is cholesterol? What causes high cholesterol? What is a stroke? What causes a stroke? What is embolism? What are the different types of embolism? What is deep vein thrombosis (DVT)? What is fat? How much fat should I eat? What is salt? How much salt should I eat? Heart failure is the leading cause of death in South-East Asia. Researchers report that a variant of a gene that increases the risk heart failure seven-fold is most common amongst people in South East Asia. Heart failure may cause problems beyond just evident physical ones. Almost half of all heart failure patients have problems with memory and other aspects of cognitive functioning, according to researchers from the University of California, Davis. What is the difference between heart failure, heart attack, and cardiac arrest? Many lay people confuse the three terms - they are quite different. *Heart attack - this consists of death of heart muscle due to an occlusion (blockage) of a coronary artery. Put simply, heart muscle tissue dies. The heart muscle dies because it is starved of oxygen (because blood is not getting to it). *Heart failure - this means the heart muscle cannot pump blood around the body effectively/properly. It is not a heart attack. *Cardiac arrest - this means the heartbeat stops, the heart stops, blood circulation stops, there is no pulse. Put simply - a heart attack means heart cells die due to lack of oxygen, heart failure means the heart does not pump blood properly, and cardiac arrest means the heart stops. What are the signs and symptoms of heart failure? Doctors say that by themselves the signs of heart failure may not mean the patient has heart failure and he/she should not be alarmed. However, people who have not been diagnosed with heart failure and experience more than one of the symptoms below should tell their doctor and ask for an evaluation of their heart. This article by the European Society of Cardiology explains how patients with heart failure and their families can help improve prognosis in acute events if they are taught to recognize the tell-tale signs of worsening condition and seek immediate medical help. Visit our specialized news sections Cardiovascular / Cardiology News Cholesterol News Statins News Heart Disease News Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) News Stroke News Obesity / Weight Loss News Vascular News Sleep / Sleep Disorder News Smoking / Quit Smoking News People who have been diagnosed with heart failure should monitor their symptoms carefully and report any sudden changes to their doctor immediately. *Extreme fatigue (tiredness) By far the main symptom is extreme fatigue - tiredness. The patient is not getting enough blood pumped from the heart to his/her muscles. The body diverts blood away from less vital organs - muscles in the limbs - and focuses on supplying the heart and brain. Other symptoms depend on which side of the body is not getting an adequate supply of blood: *Heart failure on the left side of the body: *Breathlessness, panting (dyspnea) - this may happen at any time, but will be more noticeable or acute when the patient is active or lying down. Patients at night will often need to sit up in bed or have an urge to get some fresh air. *Cough *Frothy spit (with the cough) This happens when blood backs up in the pulmonary veins because the heart cannot keep up with the supply, causing fluid to leak into the lungs. *Heart failure on the right side of the body: *Swollen ankles *Swollen legs *Enlarged liver *Enlarged stomach This happens because as blood flow out of the heart slows down, blood that returns to the heart through the veins backs up, causing fluid accumulation in the tissues. Kidneys find it harder to dispose of sodium and water, which in turn causes fluid retention in the tissues. *Heart failure on both sides of the body: *Dizziness and/or confusion - as levels of sodium and other substances in the blood change the patient is much more likely to experience confusion, and also dizziness. *Nausea *Constipation *Loss of appetite - as the digestive system receives less blood the patient experiences problems with digestion and appetite. What causes heart failure? What makes heart failure get worse? The following conditions can cause heart failure: *Diabetes - especially diabetes type 2. *Obesity - people who are both obese and have diabetes type 2 have double the risk of developing heart failure, according to this study. *Smoking - people who smoke regularly run a significantly higher risk of developing heart failure compared to lifetime non-smokers and people who gave up. *Hypertension (high blood pressure). *Four risk factors - high blood pressure, excessive weight, smoking and diabetes were strongly correlated with greater size of the heart"s left ventricle over the short term (four years) and the long term (16 years), according to a study of more than 4,217 people. *Waist size - A study found that waist size was a predictor of heart failure among middle-aged and older men and women, and was found to be a risk factor even when BMI (body mass index) was in the normal range. *Heart attack (coronary heart disease). *Depression among heart disease patients - A US study found that patients with heart disease who were then diagnosed with depression were at greater risk of heart failure. *Inherited heart disease, such as cardiomyopathy (damage to the heart muscle). *Congenital heart defects. *Anemia (a deficiency of red blood cells). *Sleep disorders - there is a link between increased probability of dying and sleep apnea among heart failure patients, according to this study. *Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland). *Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland). *Heart failure on the left side of the body can cause heart failure on the right side. *Faulty heart valves. *Myocarditis - inflammation of the heart muscle, usually caused by a virus, leading to left-sided heart failure. *Heart arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) - they may cause the heart to beat too fast, creating more work for the heart. Eventually the heart may weaken, leading to heart failure. If heartbeat is too slow not enough blood may get out from the heart to the body, leading to heart failure. *Atrial fibrillation - patients with atrial fribrillaiton have a much higher risk of hospitalization due to heart failure, a study found. *Emphysema (a chronic disease that makes it hard for the patient to breathe). *Lupus (person"s own immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues). *Hemochromatosis (pathology in which iron accumulates in the tissues). *Amyloidosis (one or more organ systems in the body accumulate deposits of abnormal proteins). How is heart failure diagnosed? Several novel biomarkers that can be used to diagnose heart failure risk, to predict outcome and to tailor treatment to individuals have been identified (2009), according to this report. UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found that patient history and physical examination, traditionally the cornerstone diagnostic tool for medical care, may still be among the most accurate and cost-efficient methods to assess patients with congestive heart failure. Most people will initially see their GP (general practitioner, primary care physician) if they have symptoms. The GP will discuss the symptoms with the patient. If the doctor suspects heart failure he may recommend a number of tests, these include: *Blood and urine tests - these will check the patient"s blood count and liver, thyroid, and kidney function. The doctor may also want to check the blood for specific chemical markers of heart failure, such as BNP (brain natriuretic peptide) - this hormone is secreted at high levels by the heart if it is injured or overburdened, but is first identified in the brain. *Chest X-ray - an X-ray will show whether the heart is enlarged. It will also show whether there is fluid in the lungs. Other conditions other than heart failure which may have similar signs and symptoms may be detected with a chest X-ray. *An ECG (electrocardiogram) - this device records the electrical activity and rhythms of the patient"s heart. Electrodes are attached to the patient"s skin and impulses are recorded as waves and displayed on a screen (or printed on paper).

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