A Look at Heart Failure

Heart failure is sometimes referred to as congestive heart failure or sometimes abbreviated to CHF. Heart failure can prove fatal if it is not treated immediately. In this case the heart has lost the ability to pump blood throughout the body. This condition is one in which time is of the essence.

Heart failure is a chronic as well as a long-term heart condition but in some rare cases it can just begin out of the blue. Heart failure can sometimes affect both sides of the heart or else it can affect just the right side or just the left side. Once the heart loses its ability to pump blood throughout the human body blood then begins to back up into other organs of the body such as the lungs (which is known as left-sided heart failure), the liver or sometimes the gastrointestinal tract as well as the legs and arms (which is referred to as right-sided heart failure). When heart failure takes place, both oxygen supply as well as nutrients are cut off to organs and this can cause damage to occur very rapidly. If both sides of the heart are failing this can mean that the entire body, including the brain will be affected in harmful ways.

The most common reasons that heart failure occurs are due to hypertension (or high blood pressure) and also coronary artery disease (meaning that a person has suffered a heart attack). However there are other reasons that heart failure can take place. These include congenital heart disease, heart tumors, valvular heart disease, dilated cardiomyopathy and lung disease.

Heart failure is more likely to take place as a person ages and is not common in children or young people. There are certain risk factors that make a person more susceptible to developing heart failure and these include those who are overweight or extremely obese; people who suffer from diabetes; those who smoke; those who drink alcohol excessively and people who use cocaine.

There are a variety of symptoms of heart failure and they include weight gain, swelling of the abdomen as well as swelling of the feet and ankles, veins in the neck that stand out, indigestion or a complete loss of appetite, nauseas and/or vomiting and shortness of breath when a person is involved in a physical activity or if that person has been lying down for some time and then gets up. Other symptoms include problems falling asleep and staying asleep, feelings of fatigue, weakness or feeling like one is going to faint or pass out, heart palpitations, an irregular or a rapid pulse and a decrease ability to concentrate or to be alert. Still there are other symptoms and these include a decreased ability to urinate properly or else a constant need to urinate throughout the night and a persistent dry cough. Although it is rare, when a baby is diagnosed with heart failure, he or she may sweat a great deal during feeding time or any time when the infant is exerting him or herself (such as when he or she is crying or playing).

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