CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE
Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure, is a life-threatening condition in which the heart can no longer pump enough blood to the rest of the body. Heart failure is almost always a chronic, long-term condition, although it can sometimes develop suddenly. This condition may affect the right side, the left side, or both sides of the heart.
As the heart's pumping action is lost, blood may back up into other areas of the body, including:
- The liver
- The gastrointestinal tract and extremities (right-sided heart failure)
- The lungs (left-sided heart failure)
With heart failure, many organs don't receive enough oxygen and nutrients, which damages them and reduces their ability to function properly. Most areas of the body can be affected when both sides of the heart fail. The most common causes of heart failure are hypertension (high blood pressure) and coronary artery disease (for example, you have had a heart attack). (Source: National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine)
Congestive Heart Failure – symptoms
Common symptoms of heart failure include: Swelling of feet and ankles; Increasing shortness of breath with exertion and Swelling of the abdomen. Other symptoms may include the following:
- Weight gain
- Swelling of feet and ankles
- Sweating
- Swelling of the abdomen
- Pronounced neck veins
- Loss of appetite, indigestion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Shortness of breath with activity, or after lying down for a while
- Difficulty sleeping
- Fatigue, weakness, faintness
- Sensation of feeling the heart beat (palpitations)
- Irregular or rapid pulse
- Decreased alertness or concentration
- Cough
- Decreased urine production
- Need to urinate at night
