The expression “heart failure” sounds like the heart has stopped working and nothing can be done. Heart failure, sometimes noted as congestive heart failure, is indeed a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s demands. In some cases, the heart’s pumping power is weaker than normal due to which heart muscle cannot pump blood to the rest of the body with enough force.
Heart failure is associated with the slower rate of blood flow through the heart and body, and thus increases pressure in the heart. As a result, the heart cannot pump enough oxygen and nutrients to conerstone other organs in the body. Sometimes, few people may have a hardening and stiffening of the heart muscle itself, which blocks or reduces blood flow to the heart. In both the conditions, heart failure can affect the right or left side of your heart, or both at the same time. Most cases involve both sides of the heart.
Heart failure can be of acute and chronic, where in acute heart failure, the symptoms appear suddenly but are short-term and in chronic heart failure, symptoms are continuous and do not advance over time. Majority of heart failure cases are chronic.
The general signs and symptoms of heart failure may include swelling particularly in the lower parts of the body, excessive fatigue, shortness of breath, constant coughing, fluctuations in pulse rate, heart palpitations, abdominal swelling occurred as a result of increased fluid in the body. As the heart becomes weaker, symptoms may get worse.
Heart failure is most often related to another disease or illness that can happen to anyone. Certain behaviors like eating foods high in fat or cholesterol, smoking, living a unhealthy lifestyle and being overweight can also increase the risk of developing heart failure. The most common way to diagnose heart failure is through echocardiogram along with other physical examinations. Treatment for heart failure depends on the type and severity of the condition which usually include medicines, lifestyle changes, and ongoing care. In serious cases, medical procedures or surgery may be needed.
Though women generally have the same risk factors as men, yet some risk factors may affect women differently than men. Healthy lifestyle habits such as avoiding foods those are high in fat and alcohol intake, quitting smoking, regular exercise, controlled cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and diabetes, avoiding getting an adequate amount of sleep, birth control pills, stress and anemia.