Heart failure is a chronic heart condition where the heart muscles gradually lose the capacity to pump enough blood to meet the requirements of the body. It can happen if the heart muscles become stiff or weak. Heart failure can also be an acute condition in certain cases. It is a very severe heart condition which requires immediate intervention and constant observation. Even so, nearly 50% of heart failure patients die within 5 years of their diagnosis.
What Causes Heart Failure?
Heart failure is more likely to happen in people who have existing heart conditions, whether diagnosed or not. You may be at a high risk of suffering from heart failure if you have the following conditions:
- Coronary Artery Disease: If your arteries are narrowed or blocked, they cannot carry enough oxygenated blood to the heart, resulting in weakening of the muscles. This can gradually affect a bigger section of the heart causing heart failure.
- High BP: When you have high BP the heart needs to pump blood with more strength that can eventually stiffen the heart muscles, making you prone to heart failure.
- Heart Valve Disease: If you have a congenital or developed defect in your valves, you naturally belong to a high-risk group for heart failure.
- Cardiomyopathy: It is a heart disease that affects the heart muscles’ ability to pump blood. It puts you at a higher risk of eventually causing your heart to fail.
- Heart Surgery: If you have had a heart surgery before, it makes your heart vulnerable to further heart conditions, the worst being heart failure.
What Are The Symptoms Of Heart Failure?
The symptoms of heart failure can unfortunately overlap with some generic discomforts in daily life or other heart problems. So, it is absolutely crucial that you monitor your heart’s health annually or even more frequently if you belong to the high risk group. Nonetheless, watch out for the following symptoms:
- Chest pain, tightness, squeezing or other discomfort
- Shortness of breath
- Arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat
- Swelling in your ankles, feet, and hands
- General fatigue
- Persistent cough
- Dizziness, lightheadedness
- Mental confusion
If you notice any of these symptoms, take prompt action and seek emergency medical attention. Many times, depending on the severity of the condition, modern medical treatment can help you lead a long, happy life.
How Is Heart Failure Treated?
Treatment for heart failure depends on the severity of the condition. In some cases, medicines, coupled with healthy lifestyle changes, do the trick. In other cases, medicines are used with other forms of treatment to give you a long lease of life. Here are some of the treatment options:
Device Implantation: Pacemakers or ICDs ( implantable cardioverter-defibrillators) are medical devices used to regulate heart rhythm and improve heart function. They sit on your chest under the skin and assist your heart beat healthily. Some advanced devices also feed data to your health records and prompt you to visit your cardiologist if it notices any irregularities.
Surgery: In some cases, heart failure may be treated with surgery. Surgeries like the coronary artery bypass surgery help improve blood flow to the heart and reduce stress on the heart preventing it from deteriorating further. “Modern surgical techniques have also perfected heart transplantation,” says Dr. Sandeep Khambhampati, a Consultant Interventional Cardiologist with 10+ years of experience, “In this procedure, a donor heart is used to replace a severely damaged heart so that the recipient can live a longer and healthier life.”
Whatever treatment you opt for, if you have a history of heart failure, you will have to closely work with your cardiologist for the rest of your life to ensure that your heart is functioning smoothly.