While the word “heart” might evoke strong images of positive emotional feelings, such as love, in reality, a heart is a vital muscular organ in the chest cavity, with an enormous responsibility to pump blood throughout the entire body. As the heart becomes damaged because of disease or other chronic conditions, and is no longer able to properly perform its primary duty of pumping blood to the other vital organs, this may result in a serious medical condition called Congestive Heart Failure, or CHF for short.
Congestive Heart Failure Explained:
The term “heart failure” may cause some to assume that something catastrophic occurs and without warning, the heart fails or suddenly stops working. This isn’t the case. Congestive Heart Failure is a chronic, long-term condition that doesn’t just happen overnight. In order for Congestive Heart Failure to truly be present, something has to happen to the muscle of the heart itself, causing it to weaken somehow.
For some people diagnosed with CHF, their heart simply cannot pump enough blood for the other organs throughout the body. For others, the heart muscle itself may stiffen or harden, which can block or reduce the flow of the blood to the heart.
Heart failure can affect one half or both sides of the heart. While the left-sided CHF is the more common of the two, both can cause a build up of blood into the vessels. This causes fluid retention. For people suffering from left-sided CHF, the lungs are most affected and fluid in the lungs will occur causing edema. For people suffering with right-sided CHF, the fluid will build up in the lower extremities, such as the legs and feet instead.
While heart failure can happen to anyone, when certain risk factors are present, it may increase a person’s chances for developing CHF. Some of these causes may include:
- Cardiomyopathy
- Heart attack
- Congenital heart disease
- Heart valve conditions or defects
- Infection
- Abnormal feeling heart rhythms or arrhythmias
- High blood pressure
- Alcoholism and drug use
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Certain medications or cancer treatments
- Diseases such as HIV, diabetes, emphysema, anemia, hypothyroidism or hypothyroidism
Warning Signs for Heart Failure:
Since Congestive Heart Failure can take months or even years to progress, some people might miss or ignore the early symptoms. It’s also possible to write them off as a common virus or illness. Early symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure include:
- Fatigue and tiredness
- trouble breathing
- Pounding or racing feeling in the heart
- Weakness and dizziness
As things continue to progress, and more fluid begins to build up in the lungs, along with other parts of the body, symptoms may increase. Later symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure include:
- Lack of breath even when resting
- Swelling and edema, particularly in the legs, feet and ankles
- Weight gain (may happen gradually or overnight)
- Coughing or wheezing, especially when prone
- Frequent night urination
- Bloated or sick to the stomach feeling
Sometimes symptoms may take a turn downhill very suddenly. When fluid builds up in the lungs causing congestion, it is considered a medical emergency and the patient should seek immediate medical attention. Severe symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure include:
- Severe issues breathing
- Irregular or fast heartbeat
- Coughing up a foamy pink mucus
How is it diagnosed?
The test most frequently used to diagnose Congestive Heart Failure is an echocardiogram, or ultrasound of the heart. A physical exam is also performed by the doctor, to check for the signs and symptoms of CHF, such as swelling, lack of breath, irregular heartbeat, etc.